News Releases - 2001

Illinois EPA Annual Air Quality Report For 2000 Released

Springfield, Ill. -- The latest annual outdoor air quality report, for the year 2000, is now available from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

The report notes the year 2000 was the first during which ozone levels did not exceed the federal one-hour air quality standard anywhere in the state. While cooler weather patterns played a role, the continued emissions reductions achieved through implementation of the requirements of the Clean Air Act, and such activities as the Chicago area Ozone Action Days program, are at the core of the reductions.

"We continue to work hard with our partners to develop and implement programs that will result in even cleaner and healthier air for Illinois citizens," said Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner.

The report also incorporates the new Air Quality Index for the first time. It shows that the outdoor air in Illinois was considered healthy more than 93 percent of the time during 2000. The AQI incorporates the new eight-hour ozone standard and the small particle standard (PM2.5) proposed by U.S. EPA and affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court last year after a court challenge. The 25 days in which air quality in some parts of the state did not meet the "good" or "moderate" categories but posed a potential risk to sensitive individuals were attributable to either the more stringent eight-hour average ozone levels or PM2.5.

U.S. EPA has not provided any implementation plan guidelines or schedule yet for the eight-hour ozone standard and PM2.5, but the process is expected to take several years.

"While there have been great improvements in air quality over the years, there are still challenges ahead especially in the area of ozone and fine particulate matter," said Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner.

Of the 25 unhealthy days, 18 were due to PM2.5 and 9 were due to 8-hour ozone. Two days had unhealthy levels of both ozone and PM2.5. Three counties were out of compliance with the 8-hour ozone standard for the time period 1998 - 2000: Cook, Jersey, and Madison.

Compliance with the PM2.5 standards will be based on data from 2000 - 2002. Data from 2000 indicated that the Chicago and East St. Louis metropolitan areas will likely not meet the annual standard.

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

Over the past decade, the trends reflected in the air monitoring network data show steady improvement in air quality or levels stabilized well below the air quality standards statewide.The report is also available on the Agency web site at www.epa.state.il.us (click on Air or Hot Topics). Printed copies may be requested from the Illinois EPA's Bureau of Air.

Related Information

• Annual Air Quality Reports