On May 3, 2011, under authority of Clean Air Act (CAA) sections 111 and 112, the EPA proposed both national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) from coaland oil-fired electric utility steam generating units (EGUs) and standards of performance for fossil-fuelfired electric utility, industrialcommercial-institutional, and small industrial-commercial-institutional steam genera...

Air quality is an important determinant of public health and quality of life. A secondary data analysis was carried out to investigate trends and air quality in Virginia. The analysis included an evaluation of two major air pollution source categories, emission of criteria and hazardous air pollutants, ambient concentrations of criteria pollutants, ozone standard violations and associated meteo...

Population exposure to multiple chemicals in air presents significant challenges for environmental public health. Air quality regulations distinguish criteria air pollutants (CAPs) (e.g., ozone, PM2.5) from hazardous air pollutants (HAPs)-187 chemicals which include carcinogens and others that are associated with respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological and numerous other non-cancer health eff...

Air pollutants have become the major problem of many cities, causing millions of human deaths worldwide every year. Among all the noxious pollutants in air, particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5) are the most hazardous because they are small enough to penetrate to the lungs and invade the smallest airways. Since the presence of dangerous levels of PM2.5, commonly reported ...

Increased use of hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") in unconventional oil and natural gas (O & NG) development from coal, sandstone, and shale deposits in the United States (US) has created environmental concerns over water and air quality impacts. In this perspective we focus on how the production of unconventional O & NG affects air quality. We pay particular attention to shale gas as this typ...

Inspired by the simplicity of how nature solves its problems, a controller based upon the bacteria chemotaxis behavior and flocking of starlings in nature is developed and presented. It would enable the localization and subsequent mapping of pollutants in the environment. The pollutants could range from chemical leaks to invisible air borne hazardous materials. Simulation is used to explore the...

Carbon dioxide can be used in its liquid (near critical) or supercritical fluid state as a replacement for conventional cleaning solvents, reducing the pollution associated with the operations that would otherwise require significant amounts of volatile organic compounds, ozone depleting substances, or hazardous air pollutants. The results of several near critical/supercritical parts cleaning a...

Although there have been several studies examining emissions of criteria pollutants from in-use alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), little is known about emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from these vehicles. This paper explores HAP tailpipe emissions from a variety of AFVs operating in the federal government fleet and compares these emissions to emissions from identical vehicles opera...

Fragranced consumer products, such as cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and personal care products, are a primary source of indoor air pollutants and personal exposure. Previous research indicates that fragranced products can trigger adverse health effects, with implications for workplaces and public places. This is the first study to examine the multiple dimensions of exposures related to fra...

Among several viable explanations for the ubiquitous SES-health gradient is differential exposure to environmental risk. We document evidence of inverse relations between income and other indices of SES with environmental risk factors including hazardous wastes and other toxins, ambient and indoor air pollutants, water quality, ambient noise, residential crowding, housing quality, educational f...