Illinois Annual Air Quality Report

Illinois Annual Air Quality Report 2000

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A Message from the Director

Since 1970, 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.

Outdoor air quality in Illinois is good most of the time. The year 2000 was the first year since ozone has been monitored that there were no exceedances of the one-hour health standard anywhere in the State.

Our remaining air pollution problems affect 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. Recently the Supreme Court upheld USEPA’s fine particulate (PM 2.5 ) air quality standard, which is based on a three-year average of measured annual averages. Compliance will be determined from data collected from 2000 through 2002. Based on preliminary results from 2000, the Chicago and East St. Louis Metropolitan areas will likely not meet the PM 2.5 annual standard and further reductions of emissions will be needed in the future.

Based on the new Air Quality Index (AQI), which now includes eight- hour ozone and PM 2.5 , there were 25 days when air quality was considered unhealthy for sensitive groups in one or more portions of Illinois during 2000—with 18 due to PM 2.5 and 9 due to ozone. Two of those days reflected high levels of both fine particulates and ozone measured for the eight-hour standard.

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 30th Annual Air Quality Report highlights information obtained in 2000 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 - 2000. Data is presented for the six criteria pollutants (those for which air quality standards have been developed - particulate matter (PM 10 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 Air Quality Index (AQI) air quality during 2000 was either good or moderate more than 93% of the time throughout Illinois. This is the first year since monitoring has been conducted in Illinois that there were no exceedances of the 1-hour ozone standard. There were 25 days when air quality in some part of Illinois was considered Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (9 for 8-hour ozone and 18 for PM 2.5 , 2 days were common) Air quality trends for the criteria pollutants are continuing to show downward trends or stable trends well below the level of the standards. Percentage changes over the ten year period 1991 – 2000 are as follows: Particulate Matter (PM 10 ) 16% decrease, Sulfur Dioxide 25% decrease, Nitrogen Dioxide 5% increase, Carbon Monoxide 42% decrease, Lead 60% decrease, and Ozone 7% decrease.

In 2000 the monitoring network was completed for PM 2.5 using Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitors at a total of 35 locations Statewide in the final phase of fine particulate (less than 2.5 microns) sampling implementation.

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, 2000. Emission estimates are for the calendar year 2000 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.