What is an air pollutant and what are air quality standards?
When you breathe, you inhale oxygen along with hundreds of other substances that are considered pollutants. Air pollutants can be particles or gases, and are released into the air by certain products, services, and industrial processes. Some air pollutants are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects, and are considered toxic. While all pollutants are harmful to the environment, not all are regulated. Vermont has national (federal) and state air quality standards for many pollutants. Standards are based on the levels above which the pollutants can cause adverse health effects in humans. The United States EPA requires each state to monitor the levels of six “criteria” pollutants: carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, airborne lead particles, and total atmospheric particles. Of these, levels of ozone and atmospheric particles (AKA dust or fine particulates) are of concern in the Burlington area. See the table below for more information. The V
