Reconstruction, changes and steps taken to control Smog.

During World War II, Los Angeles experienced its first true smog attack, a haze so bad that
some locals suspected a Japanese chemical strike. But it wasn't until 1975 that new cars in the
United States were required to include catalytic converters, which Mary Nichols, chairman of
California's Air Resources Board, describes as "the fundamental piece of technology that
permitted everything to shift." Years of frustrated scientific inquiry, industrial denial, politics,
protest, and an unyielding connection to the automobile passed in the interim.
Pollution from autos also played a role. As early as 1940, Los Angeles County had over a
million automobiles on the road. After the war, the population and economy of Los Angeles
exploded, and that figure more than doubled in just ten years. Air pollution posed a threat to
tourism, real estate, and agriculture, according to city leaders, including the Chamber of
Commerce.
"It took approximately ten years for substantial laboratory-proven evidence that hydrocarbon
emissions from tailpipes transformed into photochemical smog when exposed to sunshine
and nitrogen oxides."
Local doctors were starting to discuss possible links between lung cancer, heart disease, and
smog. A protest meeting in Pasadena drew as many as 6,000 people in 1954. To demonstrate
the dangers of ozone, Los Angeles' pollution czar agreed to sit in Haagen-plexiglass Smit's
smog chamber. He developed bronchitis.
These marches and press conferences were among the first "environmental" demonstrations
in the United States. The term "environmentalism" has not yet entered the lexicon. The book
"Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson had only lately introduced a frightening new idea: that
technological progress could kill humankind. California required the first anti-smog
regulations for automobiles in the early 1960s.

"Despite what the automotive makers maintained, elected officials ultimately believed that
cars were a large part of the problem and were going to control them," James Lents said.

What is Being Done to Reduce Hazardous Air Pollutants?

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its state and local regulatory partners have
taken substantial steps to reduce hazardous air pollutants and provide essential health
safeguards for Americans across the country. Reducing harmful emissions from industrial
sources; reducing emissions from vehicles and engines through new severe emission
regulations and cleaner-burning gasoline; and tackling indoor air pollution through voluntary
programmes are among these methods. Please see the table below for more information on
the following reductions:
Industrial sources
● Mobile sources, e.g., cars, trucks and construction equipment
● Indoor sources, e.g., building materials
Industrial Source Programs
Major Sources

The EPA is required by the Clean Air Act to regulate hazardous air pollutants (HAP) from
significant industrial plants in two phases.

The EPA creates regulations for regulating air toxics emissions from sources in an industry
group (or "source category") in the first phase, which is "technology-based." These MACT
criteria are based on emissions levels that are already being met by the industry's controlled
and low-emitting sources.

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to analyse the residual health risks from each source
category within eight years of setting the MACT criteria to determine whether the MACT
standards protect public health with an adequate margin of safety and protect against adverse
environmental consequences. Residual risk is the second step, which is a "risk-based"
approach. The EPA must now evaluate if additional health-protective regulations are
required.

In addition, the Clean Air Act mandates the EPA to review and adjust the MACT standards
every 8 years, if required, to account for improvements in air pollution controls and/or
prevention.

Since 1990, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established restrictions
regulating air toxics emissions from more than 174 significant industrial sources, including
chemical plants, oil refineries, aerospace manufacturers, and steel mills. A number of these
regulations' provisions went into force between 1999 and 2011. These guidelines are
expected to lower yearly air toxics emissions by around 1.7 million tonnes once fully
implemented.

AREA SOURCES

The Environmental Protection Agency has also completed all of the required emission criteria
for smaller sources known as area sources. Individual area source facilities normally emit far
less, although these sources can be many and extensive, even in densely inhabited areas. The
aggregate of area source emissions for a category can be significantly higher in some urban
areas than emissions from main sources. Gas stations and dry cleaners are two examples of
nearby sources. We have submitted between 90 and 100 percent of the area sources of urban
air hazardous pollutants to standards, as measured by the 1990 baseline inventory, and we
have subjected 90 percent of the sources of seven potentially bio-accumulative toxic
pollutants to standards. We anticipate that all of the controlled area sources will be shut
down.
Because communities with disproportionate risks may be able to reduce some toxic sources
more rapidly and effectively through local activities rather than through national laws, the
EPA's area source programme also includes a community support component. The NATA is
a tool that state/tribal and municipal authorities, as well as communities, can utilise to
evaluate probable contaminants and locations for additional investigation as part of a local air
toxics study.

Mobile Source Programs

Since 1990, mobile source emissions have decreased by almost half, or about 1.5 million
tonnes of HAPs per year. We expect these reductions to reach 80% by 2030 as a result of
increased fleet turnover. In addition, between 1990 and 2005, mobile source diesel onroad
and nonroad particulate matter fell by roughly 27%. Between 2005 and 2030, several of the
current mobile source laws targeting diesel engines are expected to take effect, resulting in
significant additional reductions (approximately 90%).

Tier 3 vehicle and fuel standards, which were announced in 2014 and will cut emissions of
air toxics from motor vehicles by 10% to 30% by 2030, are the EPA's most current regulatory
programme that dramatically reduces mobile source air toxics.

The 2007 mobile source air toxics rule, which limited the benzene concentration of gasoline,
as well as vehicle emissions at cold temperatures and emissions from portable fuel containers,
was another regulatory programme that reduced mobile source air toxics. According to a
recent study conducted in Anchorage, Alaska, the fuel benzene standard alone reduced
ambient benzene readings by more than 50%.

Low-sulfur gasoline and diesel requirements, heavy-duty engine and vehicle standards,
controls for small spark-ignition engines and recreational marine engines, the locomotive and
commercial marine rule, standards for nonroad diesel engines, and the North American and
Caribbean Emission Control Areas (ECAs) established to reduce emissions from ships are
among the other programmes that are reducing mobile source air toxics.
Mobile source air toxics are also being reduced through non-regulatory approaches. The
National Clean Diesel Campaign, Clean School Bus USA, SmartWay, and the EPA's Ports
Initiative are just a few examples. In addition, the EPA's Diesel Emissions Reduction
Program (also known as "DERA") was established to encourage diesel fleets to use pollution-
controlling equipment. Clean diesel programmes improve public health and air quality right
away. According to the EPA, a community can reap up to $13 in public health benefits for
every dollar invested in lowering diesel emissions. The EPA awarded $569 million between
2008 and 2013 to refit or replace roughly 73,000 engines in vehicles, boats, trains, and other
equipment. According to the EPA, these projects will lower PM2.5 emissions by 14,700
tonnes throughout the life of the impacted engines.

Indoor Air Programs

The EPA also encourages a number of programmes aimed at reducing hazardous indoor air
pollution in homes, schools, and workplaces. Information on best practises for remodelling,
reducing radon, advice on adequate and proper ventilation, and effective non-chemical pest
control strategies are among the programmes for homes. Improvements to interior air quality
in schools are also a priority, as schools are home to a variety of prevalent causes of indoor
air pollution.Art, science, and cleaning supplies are among them, as are asthma triggers such
as dust mites and moulds, as well as diesel pollution from school buses. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has created an action kit for schools to help them identify and
minimise these sources of indoor air pollution. Indoor air pollution can be a serious issue in
office buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has collaborated with
professional engineers, as well as building and architect associations, to create a free indoor
air design guide for architects, designers, and builders. This book serves as a resource for
both building professionals and the general public.

Detailed Summary: Clean Air Act Results

For more than forty-five years the Clean Air Act has cut pollution as the U.S. economy
has grown.

● Since 1970, the Clean Air Act has demonstrated that preserving public health and
growing the economy can coexist.
● Particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide, as well
as a variety of harmful pollutants, have all been reduced as a result of Clean Air Act
activities.
● Particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide, as well
as a variety of harmful pollutants, have all been reduced as a result of Clean Air Act
activities.
● The overall emissions of the six common pollutants (PM2.5 and PM10, SO2, NOx,
VOCs, CO, and Pb) decreased by 78 percent between 1970 and 2020. This breakthrough
was made although economic indices in the United States remained strong.
● The quality of the air we breathe has improved dramatically as a result of the emission
reductions. Carbon monoxide concentrations improved 73 percent, lead concentrations
improved 86 percent (from 2010), annual nitrogen dioxide concentrations improved 61
percent, ozone concentrations improved 25 percent, 24-hour coarse particle
concentrations improved 26 percent, annual fine particle concentrations improved 41
percent (from 2000), and sulphur dioxide concentrations improved 91 percent between
1990 and 2020. (See the EPA's Air Trends website for more details.)
● Many sections of the country have been able to meet national air quality requirements
designed to protect human health and the environment as a result of these advancements.
For example, in 1991, all 41 regions with harmful levels of carbon monoxide now fulfil
the health-based national air quality guideline. The motor vehicle fleet is substantially
cleaner as a result of the Clean Air Act emissions standards for new vehicles.
● Airborne lead pollution, which was a common health concern before the EPA used its
Clean Air Act authority to phase out lead in motor vehicle fuel, now meets national air
quality criteria in most parts of the country.

Because of the Act, Americans breathe less pollution and face lower risks of premature
death and other serious health effects.
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 are yielding considerable health advantages,
according to a peer-reviewed EPA research released in March 2011. These benefits will rise
over time as programmes take full effect.

The health benefits of Clean Air Act measures that reduce fine particle and ozone levels are
depicted in this graph.

Health Effect Pollutant(s) Year 2010 Year 2020

Reductions (PM2.5
& Ozone Only)

Acute Bronchitis PM 130,000 180,000

Acute Myocardial PM 130,000 200,000

Infarction

Asthma PM 1,700,000 2,400,000

Excaberation

Chronic Bronchitis PM 54,000 75,000

Emergency Room PM, Ozone 86,000 120,000

Visits

Hospital Admissions PM, Ozone 86,000 135,000

Lost Work Days PM 13,000,000 17,000,000

Ozone Mortality Ozone 4,300 7,100

 PM2.5 Adult PM 160,000 230,000
Mortality

PM2.5 Infant PM 230 280

Mortality

Restricted Activity PM, Ozone 84,000,000 110,000,000

Days

School Loss Days Ozone 3,200,000 5,400,000

● The considerable advantages of the Clean Air Act prior to 1990 were not included in the
2011 report. According to a peer-reviewed 1997 EPA Report to Congress, pollution
reductions under the Act averted 205,000 premature deaths, 10.4 million lost I.Q. points
in children due to lead exposure, and millions of additional incidents of health
consequences between 1970 and 1990.
● Reductions in air pollution are linked to widespread public health benefits, according to
independent scientific study. For example, between 1980 and 2000, decreases in fine
particle pollution in U.S. cities resulted in a seven-month increase in average life
expectancy at birth, according to one study.

New cars, trucks, and nonroad engines use state-of-the-art emission control
technologies.

Through rules that require a combination of cleaner engine technologies and cleaner fuels, the
EPA has required huge reductions in emissions from new motor vehicles and non-road
engines, such as those used in construction, agriculture, industry, railroads, and marine
vessels. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessed the benefits of five main
regulations to reduce emissions from automobiles, engines, and fuel to 2030 in 2013.
● New automobiles, SUVs, and pickup trucks are around 99 percent cleaner for typical
pollutants (hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particle emissions) than
1970 vehicle models, yet Annual Vehicle Miles Traveled has climbed considerably.
● New heavy-duty vehicles and buses are 99 percent cleaner than those from 1970. In
August 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the United States Department of
Transportation jointly finalised standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will
boost energy security and spur manufacturing innovation while improving fuel efficiency
and reducing carbon pollution.
● Locomotives starting in the 2014 model year are 90% cleaner than pre-regulation
locomotives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed a three-part
initiative in March 2008 that significantly cuts emissions from diesel locomotives of all
types, including line-haul, switch, and passenger rail. When completely implemented, the
 rule reduces particle emissions from these engines by up to 90% and nitrogen oxide
emissions by up to 80%. Find out more about locomotive emissions restrictions.>
● Particle emissions from new commercial marine vessels (non-ocean-going) are 90
percent lower than in 1970. Ocean-going vessels are also cutting pollutants thanks to the
Clean Air Act and international limits for emissions and fuels. Learn more about huge
ships and ocean vessels.
● The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to limit pollutants created
by aircraft. Under section 231(a) of the Clean Air Act, the EPA finalised determinations
that GHG emissions from certain types of aircraft engines contribute to air pollution that
causes climate change and endangers public health and welfare. Learn more about
Aircraft Greenhouse Gas Emissions Regulations.
● From pre-regulation levels, sulphur in gasoline has been decreased by 90%, and sulphur
in diesel fuel has been lowered by 99 percent.

Mobile and industrial pollution sources release far less toxic air pollution than in 1990.
● Stationary sources release 1.5 million tonnes less harmful air pollution per year today
than they did in 1990.

○ The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued emissions standards

to control toxic emissions from all 174 major sources (e.g., chemical plants,
oil refineries, aerospace manufacturing facilities, and so on), as well as 68
small "area" sources that account for 90% of the worst urban toxic pollutants.
Many of these federal rules are administered or enforced by three states.
● Between 1990 and 2014, mercury emissions decreased by nearly 80%.EPA rules for
some large mercury sources, such as municipal trash combustion and medical waste
incineration, played a key effect.
● Because of the need for cleaner fuels and engines, toxic emissions from on- and off-road
vehicles and engines are also decreasing.
● By 2030, these emissions are expected to be decreased by 80% compared to 1990
levels.
● Diesel particulate matter emissions on roads and off roads fell by roughly 27% from
1990 to 2005, and are expected to fall by another 90% from 2005 to 2030.
● Based on available air quality monitoring data, airborne levels of benzene, a
carcinogen present in gasoline, decreased by 66% from 1994 to 2009.

Reference:
Mobile emissions estimates are based on modeling runs conducted using the
MOVES2010 highway vehicle emissions modeling system and the NONROAD2008
emissions model for nonroad sources, as well as historical and projected activity and
emission rate data for aircraft, marine vessels and locomotives.
EPS Detailed summaary of Clean Air Act https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-
overview/progress-cleaning-air-and-improving-peoples-health
https://www.marketplace.org/2014/07/14/la-smog-battle-against-air-pollution/

Reduce Hazardous Air Pollutants https://www.epa.gov/haps/reducing-emissions-

hazardous-air-pollutants