Air Quality Guidelines and
Standards
Roger O. McClellan
Toxicology and Health Risk Analysis,
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Article Outline
Glossary
Definition of the Subject
Introduction
Air Quality Management Framework
Context for Air Quality Impacts
The US Legal Framework for Air Quality
Standards
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
US Process for Setting National Ambient Air
Quality Standards
Paradigm Shift
WHO Process for Setting Air Quality Guidelines
Assessing Hazards and Risks
Sources of Information for Setting Standards and
Guidelines
Particulate Matter as an Example
Ozone
Current Air Quality Standards and Guidelines
Future Directions
Bibliography
Glossary
Adverse health effect Alteration in the health
status of individuals or populations.
Aerodynamic diameter The diameter of a
spherical particle of unity density with a terminal velocity equal to the particle being
sampled.
Aerosol Relatively stable suspension of particles
or droplets in a gaseous media.
Air quality guidelines AQG, established by
World Health Organization to provide
guidance to the public and government on
levels of air pollutant that will improve air
quality.
Air quality monitoring Measurement of the
concentration of various pollutants in air for
regulatory compliance or research purposes.
Ambient air Air found out of doors, which is a
mixture of gases and suspended particles and
droplets.
Ambient concentration-response function A
mathematical description of the relationship
between ambient air concentrations and associated morbidity or mortality indicators, usually expressed as increased risk for a defined
increment of increased pollutant.
Anthropogenic Causal by humans, man-made.
Background levels The concentration of a pollutant in the air after accounting for all local or
regional emissions.
Biogenic Produced by biological processes.
Carbon monoxide The chemical, CO, that is a
product of incomplete combustion. It is regulated as a Criteria Air Pollutant or Common Air
Pollutant.
Emissions The quantities of pollutants emitted
by a particular source or multiple sources.
Excess risk Risk associated with exposure to an
agent over and above the baseline risk.
Exposure Taking materials into the body via
inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through
the skin.
Guidelines Guidance provided for use by the
public or government officials.
Hazardous The property of having the potential
to cause adverse health effects with sufficient
duration and concentration of exposure.
Lead Pb, an element that occurs naturally and
found many uses including as a paint additive
and as tetraethyl Lead added to gasoline to
enhance engine performance. Regulated as a
Criteria Air Pollutant or Hazardous Air
Pollutant.
Mobile sources Mobile sources, such as vehicles, of air pollution emissions.
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
M. E. Goodsite et al. (eds.), Air Pollution Sources, Statistics and Health Effects,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0596-7_553
Originally published in
R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, © Springer Science+Business Media LLC, 2012
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_553
7
Standards
Roger O. McClellan
Toxicology and Health Risk Analysis,
Albuquerque, NM, USA
Article Outline
Glossary
Definition of the Subject
Introduction
Air Quality Management Framework
Context for Air Quality Impacts
The US Legal Framework for Air Quality
Standards
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
US Process for Setting National Ambient Air
Quality Standards
Paradigm Shift
WHO Process for Setting Air Quality Guidelines
Assessing Hazards and Risks
Sources of Information for Setting Standards and
Guidelines
Particulate Matter as an Example
Ozone
Current Air Quality Standards and Guidelines
Future Directions
Bibliography
Glossary
Adverse health effect Alteration in the health
status of individuals or populations.
Aerodynamic diameter The diameter of a
spherical particle of unity density with a terminal velocity equal to the particle being
sampled.
Aerosol Relatively stable suspension of particles
or droplets in a gaseous media.
Air quality guidelines AQG, established by
World Health Organization to provide
guidance to the public and government on
levels of air pollutant that will improve air
quality.
Air quality monitoring Measurement of the
concentration of various pollutants in air for
regulatory compliance or research purposes.
Ambient air Air found out of doors, which is a
mixture of gases and suspended particles and
droplets.
Ambient concentration-response function A
mathematical description of the relationship
between ambient air concentrations and associated morbidity or mortality indicators, usually expressed as increased risk for a defined
increment of increased pollutant.
Anthropogenic Causal by humans, man-made.
Background levels The concentration of a pollutant in the air after accounting for all local or
regional emissions.
Biogenic Produced by biological processes.
Carbon monoxide The chemical, CO, that is a
product of incomplete combustion. It is regulated as a Criteria Air Pollutant or Common Air
Pollutant.
Emissions The quantities of pollutants emitted
by a particular source or multiple sources.
Excess risk Risk associated with exposure to an
agent over and above the baseline risk.
Exposure Taking materials into the body via
inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through
the skin.
Guidelines Guidance provided for use by the
public or government officials.
Hazardous The property of having the potential
to cause adverse health effects with sufficient
duration and concentration of exposure.
Lead Pb, an element that occurs naturally and
found many uses including as a paint additive
and as tetraethyl Lead added to gasoline to
enhance engine performance. Regulated as a
Criteria Air Pollutant or Hazardous Air
Pollutant.
Mobile sources Mobile sources, such as vehicles, of air pollution emissions.
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012
M. E. Goodsite et al. (eds.), Air Pollution Sources, Statistics and Health Effects,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0596-7_553
Originally published in
R. A. Meyers (ed.), Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, © Springer Science+Business Media LLC, 2012
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_553
7