Environmental Progress - Summer/Fall 2002

Environmental Progress : Summer/Fall 2002

2001 Annual Air Quality Report Released

Shows continued improvements

The 2001 Annual Air Quality Report, released in late September, noted trends from the past decade that show continued improvements in air quality or levels stabilized well below the air quality standards statewide.

Additionally, 2001 marked the third year in a row that air monitoring equipment in the Illinois portion of the Chicago Metropolitan area did not register any exceedances of the federal one-hour health standard for ozone (smog), making the Chicago non-attainment area both the largest metropolitan area and the first severe ozone non-attainment area in the nation to meet the one-hour standard.

The annual report shows the state has been experiencing an on-going trend of decreased levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone. The decreased emissions are attributed to reductions from industry as well as voluntary efforts of the Partners for Clean Air and individual citizens, through the promotion of Ozone Action Days.

"We are proud of the achieviments the state has experienced in air quality, still there is more work to be done by individuals and businesses," said Illinois EPA Director Renee Cipriano. "We will continue our efforts to ensure that Illinois air quality continues to improve for all residents."

For the second year, the report incorporated the national Air Quality Index (AQI), which includes eight-hour ozone and PM2.5. according to the AQI, Illinois recorded 40 days in which air quality did not meet the "good" or "moderate" categories and posed a potential risk to sensitive individuals. Thirty-nine of those days were attributed to either eight-hour ozone and/or PM2.5 and one was due to PM10 (coarse particulate matter).

Only two counties missed the 8-hour goal.

Only two counties (Cook and Jersey) were out of compliance with the 8-hour ozone standard for the time period 1999-2001.

Illinois has been gathering data on PM2.5 since 2000 and will continue through 2002. Compliance with the federal PM2.5 standards will be based on that data. According to the data gathered thus far, the Chicago and East St. Louis metropolitan areas will likely not meet the annual standards for fine particulates. The state anticipates implementation guidelines and strategies for the 8-hour ozone standard and PM2.5 to be announced within the next several years.

"We will continue to address air quality issues throughout the state as we work to meet the more stringent 8-hour and PM2.5 standards," said Director Cipriano. "We anticipate significant reductions in the coming years through Illinois' NOx SIP Call, and we are confident that the state will continue its achievements in air quality."

The Illinois EPA maintains more than 200 monitors at nearly 100 locations statewide. Those monitors track pollutants with federal health-based standards - called criteria pollutants and compounds.

The 2001 Air Quality Report is available on the Agency web site. Printed copies may be requested from the Illinois EPA's Bureau of Air at 217-782-9315.