What is the difference between a primary and secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standard?
Primary standards are set to protect human health. Secondary standards are set to protect public welfare and take into consideration such factors as crop damage, architectural damage, damage to ecosystems, and visibility in scenic areas. Back to Top • How is the location of an air monitoring station decided? Delaware has had air monitoring sites located around the state since the late 1960s. The original focus of the monitoring network was on monitoring close to point sources (large facilities with high emissions). As air pollution control strategies were successfully implemented and the emissions from large facilities were brought into compliance with air quality regulations, the focus has shifted to pollutants that are more of a regional problem. Air monitoring stations are primarily used to house continuous instruments that measure criteria air pollutants (those that have established National Ambient Air Quality Standards). Monitoring for particulate matter is often accomplished by
