What Are Air Pollutants?
Cleveland Air Pollution Watchdog - Ohio Citizen Action
Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio) Fails to Meet Ozone and Particulate Standards
Hazardous Air Toxics in Cuyahoga County
Mercury Air Pollution
Diesel Pollution
Ohio Power Plants - A Dirty Business
Links to More Information on Air pollution

What Are Air Pollutants?

• The US EPA designates two catagories of air pollutants - common pollutants and air toxics.
• Common pollutants have been measured and regulated through the Clean Air Act since the 1970's and include pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide and lead.
• Air Toxics have only recently been identified by the EPA and include pollutants such as mercury and PCBs.
• A summary table for epidemiologic evidence for exposure to outdoor air pollution has been compiled by Don Wiggle, author of, Child Health and the Environment.

Cleveland Air Pollution Watchdog - Ohio Citizen Action

• 1/3/07 -- Ohio Citizen Action released its "Citizens' Audit" of the Mittal Steel Cleveland Works this morning. The audit, entitled "Smoke and Mirrors: Mittal Steel's Playbook to Cover Up Their Pollution," is the lead story on their website, www.ohiocitizen.org., where you can find the press release and the complete report. The audit is a comprehensive look at Mittal Steel's pollution in Cleveland, and includes new findings about the pollution coming from the blast furnaces.
• 1/23/06 -- CLEVELAND -- "[Jessica] Kramer and [Jerry] Reed-Mundell are detectives in a citizen-initiated stink patrol. Their goal is to clean up the dirty air rising from the Cuyahoga Valley, Cleveland's industrial heart and the birthplace of Standard Oil. 'It's more than a disturbing bad smell,' said Reed-Mundell, 56, who teaches chemistry at Cleveland State University. 'It's a health issue.' Ohio Citizen Action, the state's largest environmental group, launched the air-testing program last November after hearing repeated complaints about awful odors in downtown Cleveland and nearby neighborhoods of Tremont, Ohio City and Slavic Village. The smells could be toxic chemicals, which can have lasting health effects, such as cancer or reproductive damage, said Sandy Buchanan, who heads Ohio Citizen Action," John C. Kuehner, Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Cuyahoga County Fails to Meet Ozone and Particulate Standards

Ozone

• Ozone is unhealthy to breathe, especially for children, active adults who are outdoors, and those with respiratory diseases. Ozone has been linked to health effects such as reduced lung function, increases in respiratory symptoms, and development of asthma.s.
• In April 2004, the EPA announced that Cuyahoga County was among 33 Ohio counties that do not meet the new 8-hour, health-based outdoor air quality standard for ground-level ozone.
• Current ozone standard may not be sufficiently protective: a team of researchers reports that ozone may pose a danger to human health even at levels far below the limits set by current U.S. and international regulations. [Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2006]

• EPA Ozone Statement
• Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Ozone Analysis
• Akron Beacon Journal Article
• Plain Dealer Article

Particulates

• Particulates are particles found in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets that are also unhealthy to breathe.
• The US EPA announced in June 2004 that 33 of Ohio's 88 counties, including all of Greater Cleveland, fail to meet new federal standards for microscopic air pollutants.
  • EPA Particulate Statement
  • Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) Ozone Analysis
  • Plain Dealer Article
  • Air Quality Monitoring in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio)

Hazardous Air Toxics in Cuyahoga County

Cuyahoga County Air Toxics Emmissions Inventory (2002)

• As Part of the Cleveland Clean Air Century Campaign the EPA prepared a detailed inventory and analysis of sources of toxic air emissions for Cuyahoga County.  Separate inventories were also prepared for the St. Clair-Superior and Slavic Village neighborhoods. 
  • Inventory Highlights
  • Inventory Summary (pdf, 9pgs)
  • Slavic Village, Cleveland, Ohio (pdf, 4pgs)
  • St. Clair-Superior, Cleveland, Ohio (pdf, 5pgs)
  • Full Inventory Report (pdf, 127pgs)

Air Toxics Exposure Modeling for Cuyahoga County

• As part of an analysis of the modeling data from the Cumulative Exposure Project (US EPA) for Cuyahoga County, EHW found 14 air toxics estimated to exceed the cancer benchmark. Mobile air toxics had the highest exceedences of the cancer benchmarks, by far with several exceeding the cancer benchmarks by more than 20 times.

  • Estimating Exposure
  • Slides, Tables and Graph
  • Air Quality Monitoring in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio)

Mercury Air Pollution

• The Public Interest Research Group released a new report on August 3, 2004 showing every fish tested from Ohio was contaminated with mercury.  Several of Ohio's most popular fish contained mercury levels that exceed the USEPA's "safe" limit for women of childbearing age, including 48% of the walleye, 49% of the smallmouth bass, 50% of the Northern Pike and 64% of the largemouth bass.  Reel Danger: Power Plant Mercury and the Fish We Eat
• In March, 2004 EHW and the National Wildlife Federation released a report showing that alarming levels of mercury in rain falling on Cleveland, levels up to 31 times higher than the levels EPA considers safe. Read the Akron Beacon Journal's Editorial
  • Mercury Press Release
  • Mercury Report (pdf, 15pgs)
• An epidemiologic evidence summary table for mercury exposure has been compiled by Don Wiggle, author of Child Health and the Environment.
• The Bush Administration is proposing changes to the Clean Air Act, but not everyone agrees that the changes are good.  Read the Cleveland NPR report on Power Plant Mercury Air Pollution: Clear Skies?.
• The Ohio Mercury Emissions Bill requires Ohio-based coal fired power plants to curb mercury emissions 90% by December 2005. View full text of the bill (pdf, 9pgs).

Diesel Pollution

• Diesel exhaust is a mixture containing over 450 different components, including vapors and fine particles. Over 40 chemicals in diesel exhaust are considered toxic air contaminants by the State of California. Exposure to this mixture may result in cancer, exacerbation of asthma and other health problems.  Visit the American Lung Association to learn more.

• Diesel Solutions for Ohio - Ohio Environmental Council

  • The lifetime diesel soot cancer risk for a resident of Cuyahoga County is 395 times EPA's acceptable risk level.
  • Beginning in 2007, federal standards will require new diesel engines to be 90% cleaner than they are today. But since these standards only apply to new engines, diesels built to yesterday's emission standards will be on Ohio's roads and at Ohio's job-sites for years to come.
  • Solutions are available today. We support immediate emissions reductions to the lowest level achievable in school buses, transit buses, and state-funded construction equipment.
• National Partnership to Reduce Diesel Pollution - platform (pdf, 1 pg.)

• The Cleveland Clean Air Century Campaign works to reduce diesel pollution through several projects including Highway Fuel for Off-Road Use, Anti-idling Campaign and Cleaner Diesel Fleets for Cleveland.

• For More Information visit:
  • Scorecard's page on diesel emission hazards
  • Clean Fuels Program [Earth Day Coalition]
  • Automobile Pollution [EcoCity]
  • Dump Dirty Diesel [USPIRG]
  • Diesel Nonroad Engines [Environmental Defense]
  • Clean Vehicles [Union of Concerned Scientists]

Ohio Power Plants - A Dirty Business

• Clean air advocates call on Greater Cleveland Congressional Delegation to oppose Bush administration efforts to weaken clean air protections.  Stop Clean Air Rollbacks
• "It is the story of how Ohio became one of America's worst polluters, and how the country's dirtiest coal-burning electric utility industry fought to keep that distinction." Ohio Air Pollution Expose: Akron Beacon Journal 1/01
• Climate Change and Midwest Power Plants 02/02 (pdf, 20pgs)
  This Clean Air Task Force report is the first study to focus exclusively on the Midwest region and its responsibility for changing trends in the Earth's climate.  Ohio's largest source of climate pollution, power plants, is ranked third in the country for emissions of carbon dioxide, an important global warming gas.
• Generating Energy, Generating Jobs: Policy Matters Ohio is the Ohio partner for the Apollo Alliance, a bold national campaign to make our country energy - independent within a decade. Read this report documenting how Ohio's manufacturing infrastructure and workshorce is poised to provide part for wind turbines and other renewable energy equipment.
• A Bright Simple Idea: Energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) not only reduce energy usage but may help with global security, climate change and more.