Illinois Annual Air Quality Report

Illinois Annual Air Quality Report 1999

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A Message from the Director

Since 1970, the Clean Air Program at the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been working to combat air pollution. To comply with the federal Clean Air Act and its amendments, the Agency issues permits to air pollution sources and works to reduce air pollutants. Clean air efforts have progressed to creating partnerships that encourage both voluntary pollution-reducing activities and that promote preventing pollution before it starts.

Our remaining major air pollution problem affects a substantial portion of Illinois’ population. Both the Chicago and East St. Louis metropolitan regions still do not meet the federal air quality standard for ozone (smog), which is associated with human respiratory problems as well as ecosystem damage. There were six occurrences of unhealthful air quality in one or more portions of Illinois during 1999--all due to ozone— compared with eight in 1998 and six in 1997. This was the first year since 1993 that there were no unhealthy ozone occurrences in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

Although this document shows that the trend in Illinois air pollution has been a steady decrease in emissions, there is still much to do to ensure that our residents enjoy the best air quality possible. Recent efforts to combat ozone include asking residents and businesses in the Chicago ozone non-attainment areas for help by voluntarily altering their activities that contribute to ozone formation on Ozone Action Days.

This 29th Annual Air Quality Report highlights information obtained in 1999 from the Bureau of Air’s statewide air monitoring network, which incorporates more than 200 monitors that track the measurements of a variety of pollutants and air toxic compounds.

We hope you find this report helpful. We welcome any comments or questions you may have so that we can better address your information needs.

Thomas Skinner
Director

Executive Summary

This report presents a summary of air quality data collected throughout the State of Illinois during the calendar year - 1999. Data is presented for the six criteria pollutants (those for which air quality standards have been developed - particulate matter (PM10 and PM_2.5), ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead) along with some heavy metals, nitrates, sulfates, and volatile organic compounds. Monitoring was conducted at over 100 different site locations collecting data from more than 200 instruments.

In terms of the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) air quality during 1999 was either good or moderate more than 99% of the time throughout Illinois. There were four days Statewide which exceeded an air quality standard for any pollutant – all four for ozone. These exceedances occurred in Jersey (3), and Madison (1) Counties (ozone). Air quality trends for the criteria pollutants are continuing to show downward trends or stable trends well below the level of the standards.

In 1999 monitoring was initiated for PM_2.5 using Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitors at 25 locations Statewide as the first phase of fine particulate (less than 2.5 microns) sampling. The rest of this network will be implemented in 2000.

Stationary point source emission data has again been included. The data in the report reflects information contained in the Emission Inventory System (EIS) as of December 31, 1999. Emission estimates are for the calendar year 1999 and are for the pollutants: particulate matter, volatile organic material, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide. Emission trends of these pollutants has been given for the years 1981 to the present. Emissions reported with the Annual Emissions Report have been provided starting with 1992. In general there has been a trend toward decreasing emissions over this time period.