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Bob MorganAK Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

also known asToxic Air Pollutants or Air Toxics

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What are HAPs?Toxic air pollutants that can cause serious

health effects Cancer Respiratory problems Neurological problems Reproductive problems Birth defects

Adverse environmental and ecological effects

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EPA required to control 188 hazardous air pollutants

Defined by Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 (see list) 5 important air pollutants not on list, addressed separately as "criteria pollutants”

What are HAPs? (cont.)

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Criteria Pollutants•Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5)•Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)•Sulfur dioxide (SO2)•Ozone (O3)•Carbon monoxide (CO)•Lead (Pb) is both criteria pollutant and HAP

CAA - Title I NAAQS

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Examples of HAPs - Mercury

ThermometersThermostatsSwitchesLighting (fluorescent, CFL, HID, Neon)Batteries (button-cell, mercury-oxide)Coal-burning power plantsBurning municipal or hazardous waste(Hg fact sheets and info at www.newmoa.org)

Flame Sensor(gas range)

Float Switch(sump pump)

Tilt Switch(washing machine)

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Examples of HAPs - MercuryMercury mines (none currently operating)Extraction of gold in miningFish and marine mammals”State health officials are activelymonitoring Alaska residents and have not found any cases of unsafe mercury exposures resulting from consumption of Alaska fish”

(www.epi.alaska.gov/eh/fish/)http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs-0072-94/

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Examples of HAPs - CadmiumCommon in industrial workplaces Tobacco smokeNickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries (power

tools, cordless phones, professional radios, airsoft guns)

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Examples of HAPs - LeadLead solder Batteries TV screens and computer monitorsAmmunitionWeightsBuilding demolition with lead-based paintRed Dog Mine

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Examples of HAPs - DioxinsGroup of chemical compounds that share similar chemical

structuresHerbicides - 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)

“Agent Orange” & “Esteron”Sources: byproduct of combustion and production

processes involving chlorine

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Examples of HAPs - Asbestos Natural asbestos deposits Insulating material (building materials before

1975, heat-resistant fabrics) Asbestos Containing Material (ACM)

floor tile Roofing material Packing and gaskets

(Removal requires special equipment and detailed training)

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More Examples of HAPs Formaldehyde – particle board, new manufactured

homes (building materials and home furnishings), smoking, incomplete fuel combustion

Beryllium – combustion of coal and fuel oil, incineration of municipal waste

Benzene, Toluene – gasoline Vinyl chloride – used to make plastics (PVC) Radionuclides – naturally occurring radon, fallout from

nuclear tests

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Sources of HAPs - Major Sources (large sources)

More than 10 tons/year of one HAP or more than 25 tons/year of combination of HAPs Chemical plants Coal-burning power plants Coke ovens – steel plants Mines (Red Dog) and

refineries

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Sources of HAPs - Area Sources (small sources)

Vehicle exhausts Village fuel venting

tanks Gas stations Burning landfills Dry cleaners Print shops

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Long-Range Transport

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Grasshopper Effect

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Indoor SourcesCombustion

Treated wood in wood stoves Exhaust from furnace Cigarettes

Building materials/furnishings Dioxins from bleached fabrics Formaldehyde from pressed wood Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

• Paints, new carpet, glues

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Indoor Sources (cont.)Household cleaning/maintenance products

Chlorine (Clorox) Glues (typically, strong-smelling substances

contain VOCs Glass cleaners can contain benzene,

ammonia, moreStorage / Arctic entries / Attached garages

Paints and solvents Exhaust and fuels

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Effects of HAPsHealth Effects of HAPs

Cancer Neurological problems Reproductive issues Birth defects Respiratory problems

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Effects of HAPs (cont.)Environmental effects of HAPs

Soils – spilled gasoline, leached into dump

Water – spilled gas, runoff from dump Air – venting tanks, burning waste

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Greatest Risk in Villages Normally not a high risk Some risk

Running small boats frequently or rebuilding carburetors

Living downwind from a dump where trash is burned

Using commercial cleaning and building materials

Natural sources in/near villages

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Regulation of HAPsEmission controls

Health-based in 1970 Clean Air Act• Not implemented• Disagreement about regulating

carcinogens Technology-based in 1990 Clean Air Act

• Pollution prevention

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Regulation of HAPs (cont.)Regulations

By source category Regulate major sources first Maximum Achievable Control Technology

(MACT)• Pollution prevention

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Contact InformationBob Morgan, ADECPhone: 907-269-3070E-mail: bob.morgan@alaska.gov

Barbara Trost ADEC / AQ Monitoring and Quality Assurance Phone: 907-269-6249E-mail: barbara.trost@alaska.gov

Jennifer WilliamsAK Solid and Hazardous Waste Program CoordinatorInstitute for Tribal Environmental ProfessionalsPhone: 907-349-2163E-mail: jennifer.williams@nau.edu