COLLEGE PARK, MD (July 15, 2002) Code red days seem to be more common this summer. On code red days, the elderly, children, and people with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors because of the air quality conditions. While these codes do alert the public and help to raise awareness about local air quality and ozone levels, some scientists think the way air quality is measured could use some improving.

"There just are not enough high quality air monitoring stations to give an accurate picture of the sources and distributions of pollutants that form ozone," says Charles Kolb, an atmospheric chemist and president of Aerodyne Research Inc. in Billerica, MA.

Kolb is not alone is his criticism. Russell Dickerson, Professor of Meteorology at University of Maryland and head of a group that forecasts ozone for the Baltimore/Washington DC area, agrees with Kolb. "The most of the current air quality measurements are not useful for forecasting or modeling pollution," says Dickerson. "Current instruments lack the sensitivity to monitor key pollutants."

Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards sets the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants. With help from national, state, and local organizations, the EPA monitors the concentrations of six criteria pollutants: sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, ground-level ozone, and particulate matter (which is made up of soot, dust, and other particles). These pollutants were chosen because they are present in the air everywhere. Kolb believes that by leaving out organic compounds like propane, methane, and acetone, that the EPA is missing an important variable in air quality measurements.

"These organic compounds contribute significantly to air pollution levels, help feed the formation of smog, and some of these compounds are toxic on their own," says Kolb.

According to the EPA, there has been an increase in monitoring ozone and a new interest in particulate matter and its effect on public health. Kolb does believe that things have gotten better. "Air quality in the U.S. in terms of directly monitoring carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and soot particles have improved significantly since the Clean Air Act was implemented in 1970," says Kolb. "Some monitoring is better than none, but we simply are not where we need to be in terms of monitoring air quality."

###

For more information contact:

Charles Kolb
Atmospheric Chemist and President
Aerodyne Research Inc.
Billerica, MA
978-663-9500 x290

Russell Dickerson
Professor of Meteorology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD
301-405-5364

Websites:

EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards

EPA AIRNOW