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Air Quality Standards and Laws
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Arsenic (As)
Legal limits: 10 µg/L in drinking water. Health outcomes: Long-term exposure can lead to skin discoloration, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and cancer.
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
Legal limits: Not directly regulated, but indirectly controlled to reduce the organic pollution load in wastewater. Health outcomes: High BOD levels in water bodies can lead to oxygen depletion, affecting aquatic life.
COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand)
Legal limits: Not directly regulated, but indirectly controlled in industrial wastewater to prevent oxygen depletion in receiving waters. Health outcomes: Reflects potential for waterway oxygen depletion which can harm aquatic life.
Carbon monoxide (CO)
Legal limits: 9 ppm 8-hour mean; 35 ppm 1-hour mean. Health outcomes: Can cause harmful health effects by reducing oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues.
Benzene (C6H6)
Legal limits: 5 ppb in drinking water. Health outcomes: Long-term exposure may cause blood disorders, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and aplastic anemia.
Formaldehyde (HCHO)
Legal limits: 0.75 ppm in indoor air (OSHA). Health outcomes: Can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and may cause wheezing and coughing, fatigue, skin rash, and severe allergic reactions.
Cadmium (Cd)
Legal limits: 5 ppb in drinking water. Health outcomes: Long-term exposure can lead to kidney damage, bone fractures, and lung effects.
Dioxins
Legal limits: 1-4 pg WHO-TEQ/L in drinking water. Health outcomes: Can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer.
Asbestos
Legal limits: 7 MFL in drinking water. Health outcomes: Inhalation can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Legal limits: Varied depending on the compound. For example, benzene - 5 ppb in drinking water. Health outcomes: Can cause liver, kidney, and central nervous system damage, and some are suspected or known to cause cancer.
PM10
Legal limits: 50 µg/m3 24-hour mean, not to be exceeded more than 35 times per year. Health outcomes: Can cause coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks.
Chromium VI (Cr(VI))
Legal limits: 0.1 mg/L total chromium in drinking water. Health outcomes: Inhalation of chromium(VI) can cause nasal irritations and ulcers, as well as lung cancer.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Legal limits: 0.5 ng/L in drinking water. Health outcomes: May affect the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.
Cyanide (CN-)
Legal limits: 200 µg/L in drinking water. Health outcomes: Can cause rapid breathing, tremors, and other neurological effects, can be lethal at high concentrations.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
Legal limits: 75 ppb 1-hour mean. Health outcomes: Can lead to throat and eye irritation, coughing, and shortness of breath, particularly in asthmatics.
Phosphate (PO4^3-)
Legal limits: There are no specific limits for phosphates in drinking water, but they contribute to eutrophication. Health outcomes: Not directly harmful to humans, but high levels can harm aquatic ecosystems.
Lead (Pb)
Legal limits: 0.15 µg/m3 rolling 3-month average. Health outcomes: Can affect the nervous system, kidney function, immune system, reproductive and developmental systems, and the cardiovascular system.
Ammonia (NH3)
Legal limits: There are no specific legal limits for ammonia in ambient air, but it is regulated due to its contribution to particulate matter formation. Health outcomes: High levels can cause irritation and serious burns in the skin, eyes, throat, lungs, and respiratory tract.
Beryllium (Be)
Legal limits: 4 µg/m3 in ambient air. Health outcomes: Chronic beryllium disease (berylliosis), lung cancer, and acute beryllium poisoning can occur on inhalation of high levels.
Air Quality Index (AQI)
Legal limits: Index values at or below 100 are considered satisfactory. Index values over 100 are progressively more unhealthy. Health outcomes: High AQI values can cause respiratory distress and exacerbate pre-existing health conditions.
Ozone (O3)
Legal limits: 0.070 ppm 8-hour mean. Health outcomes: Can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and airway inflammation.
Radon (Rn)
Legal limits: 4 pCi/L in indoor air. Health outcomes: Long-term exposure can lead to lung cancer, especially among smokers.
Trihalomethanes (THMs)
Legal limits: 80 µg/L in drinking water. Health outcomes: Long-term exposure has been associated with increased risk of certain types of cancer and reproductive issues.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Legal limits: 100 µg/m3 1-hour mean; 40 µg/m3 annual mean. Health outcomes: Can cause respiratory problems and decrease immunity to lung infections.
Mercury (Hg)
Legal limits: 2 ppb in drinking water. Health outcomes: Can damage the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages.
PM2.5
Legal limits: 12 µg/m3 annual mean; 35 µg/m3 24-hour mean. Health outcomes: Can cause respiratory issues and exacerbate asthma.
Nitrates (NO3-)
Legal limits: 10 mg/L as nitrogen in drinking water. Health outcomes: High levels can cause 'blue baby syndrome' and other serious health effects.
Particulate Matter (PM)
Legal limits: Varied for PM10 and PM2.5. Health outcomes: Can exacerbate chronic lung and heart conditions, and are associated with increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions.
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