Santa Barbara County Air Quality Attainment Designation
Air quality standards define clean air. They tell us how
much of a substance can be in the air without causing harm, based on
proven scientific and medical research. Both the federal and state
governments set air quality standards. In most cases, California's
standards are more protective of health. The Attainment Designation tells us whether our
air meets these health standards.
Federal standards have been established for seven pollutants:
- carbon monoxide
- lead
- nitrogen dioxide
- ozone
- respirable particulate matter less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10)
- fine particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5),
and
- sulfur dioxide.
California state standards exist for all of these, plus four more:
- sulfates
- hydrogen sulfide
- vinyl chloride (chloroethene), and
- visibility reducing particles.
These are the only pollutants - out of hundreds in our air - for which
standards have been set. There is not enough known about the health
effects of other pollutants to set air quality standards. View the State
and Federal Ambient Air Quality
Standards.
Santa Barbara County is designated as a federal ozone attainment area
for the 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard. (The 1-hour
federal ozone standard was revoked for Santa Barbara County). The County
is also considered in attainment for the state 1-hour standard for ozone
as of June, 2007. The California 8-hour ozone standard was implemented
in May, 2006. The County violates the state 8-hour ozone standard and
the state standard for PM10. The County is in attainment for the federal
PM2.5 standard and unclassified for the state PM2.5 standard (based on
monitored data from 2006 – 2008).
To view historical statistics on ozone and particle pollution levels in
Santa Barbara County and other areas see
this page on the California Air Resources Board site.
Santa Barbara County
Attainment/Nonattainment Classification Summary 2009
|
|
Pollutant |
Averaging Time |
California Standards |
National Standards |
|
Concentration |
Attainment Status |
Concentration |
Attainment Status |
|
Ozone
|
8 hour |
0.070 ppm |
N |
0.075 ppm |
A |
| 1 hour |
0.09 ppm
(180 µg/m3) |
A |
revoked
|
A |
|
Carbon Monoxide
|
8 hour |
9.0 ppm
(10 mg/m3) |
A |
9.0 ppm
(10 m/m3) |
A |
| 1 hour |
20.0 ppm
(23 mg/m3) |
A |
35.0 ppm
(40 µg/m3) |
A |
|
Nitrogen Dioxide***
|
annual average |
0.030 ppm
(56 µg/m3) |
A |
0.053 ppm
(100 µg/m3) |
A |
| 1 hour |
0.18 ppm
(338 µg/m3) |
A |
-- |
-- |
|
Sulfur Dioxide
|
annual average |
-- |
-- |
80 µg/m3
(0.03 ppm) |
A |
| 24 hour |
0.04 ppm
(105 µg/m3) |
A |
0.14 ppm
365 µg/m3
|
A |
| 1 hour |
0.25 ppm
(655 µg/m3) |
A |
-- |
-- |
|
Particulate Matter (PM10)
|
annual arithmetic mean |
20 µg/m3 |
N |
revoked |
A |
| 24 hour |
50 µg/m3 |
N |
150 µg/m3 |
A |
|
Particulate Matter - Fine (PM2.5)
|
annual arithmetic mean |
12µg/m3 |
U |
15 µg/m3 |
A |
| 24 hour |
-- |
-- |
35 µg/m3** |
A |
|
Sulfates
|
24 hour |
25 µg/m3 |
A |
|
|
|
Lead
|
calendar quarter |
-- |
-- |
1.5 µg/m3 |
A |
| 30 day average |
1.5 µg/m3 |
A |
-- |
-- |
| Rolling 3-month Average |
-- |
-- |
0.15 µg/m3 |
U |
|
Hydrogen Sulfide
|
1 hour |
0.03 ppm
(42 µg/m3) |
A |
-- |
-- |
|
Vinyl Chloride (chloroethene)
|
24 hour |
0.010 ppm
(26 µg/m3) |
|
-- |
-- |
|
Visibility Reducing Particles
|
8 hour (1000 to 1800 PST) |
|
A |
-- |
-- |
|
A=Attainment
N=Nonattainment
U=Unclassified
U/A=Unclassifiable/Attainment
|
mg/m3=milligrams per cubic meter
ppm=parts per million
µg/m3=micrograms per cubic meter
|
NOTES:
** EPA strengthened the 24-hour fine particle standard from the 1997
level of 65 ug/m3 to 35 ug/m3 on September 21, 2006.
*** The state Nitrogen Dioxide ambient air quality standard was
amended on February 22, 2007, to lower the 1-hour standard to 0.18 ppm
and establish a new annual standard of 0.030 ppm.
|
|
