AMBIENT AIR MONITORING OPERATIONS
Ambient air monitoring operations are the responsibility of the DEQ Air Quality Assessment Division, Air Analysis Section. The Air Analysis Section maintains a statewide monitoring network, made up of stationary ambient air monitoring stations. From these sites, Analysis personnel collect direct measurements of air pollutant concentrations, analyze, and interpret the data. The data collected is used to track trends in air quality and to determine compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Monitoring sites contain specialized instruments to measure concentrations of the pollutants ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and respirable particulate matter, in accordance with federal air monitoring requirements. The Analysis Section also measures concentrations of volatile organic compounds at selected sites throughout Louisiana.
The Section also reports daily air quality readings to the public in the following areas: Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, New Orleans, and Shreveport. DEQ provides the information to radio and television news and to local newspapers, who report the air quality reading in a short air quality statement included in the daily weather report. Hourly air quality readings are also available on this web site.
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NATIONAL AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS
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| Pollutant |
Primary/ Secondary |
Averaging Time |
Level |
Form |
Attainment Status |
| Carbon Monoxide |
Primary |
8 – hour |
9 ppm |
Not to be exceeded more than once per year |
Attainment |
| 1 – hour |
35 ppm |
| Lead |
Primary and Secondary |
Rolling 3 – month average |
0.15 µg/m3 (1) |
Not to be exceeded |
Attainment |
| Nitrogen Dioxide |
Primary |
1 – hour |
100 ppb |
98th percentile, averaged over 3 years |
Attainment |
| Primary and Secondary |
Annual |
53 ppb (2) |
Annual Mean |
| Ozone |
Primary and Secondary |
8 – hour |
0.075 ppm (3) |
Annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour concentration, averaged over 3 years |
Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and West Baton Rouge Parishes - Marginal
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| Particle Pollution |
PM2.5 |
Primary |
Annual |
12 µg/m3 |
Annual mean, averaged over 3 years |
Attainment |
| Secondary |
Annual |
15 µg/m3 |
Annual mean, averaged over 3 years |
| Primary and Secondary |
24-hour |
35 µg/m3 |
98th percentile, averaged over 3 years |
| PM10 |
Primary and Secondary |
24 – hour |
150 µg/m3 |
Not to be exceeded more than once per year on average over 3 years |
Attainment |
| Sulfur Dioxide |
Primary |
1 – hour |
75 ppb (4) |
99th percentile of 1-hour daily maximum concentrations, averaged over 3 years |
Attainment |
| Secondary |
3 – hour |
0.5 ppm |
Not to be exceeded more than once per year |
(1) Final rule signed October 15, 2008. The 1978 lead standard (1.5 µg/m3 as a quarterly average) remains in effect until one year after an area is designated for the 2008 standard, except that in areas designated nonattainment for the 1978, the 1978 standard remains in effect until implementation plans to attain or maintain the 2008 standard are approved.
(2) The official level of the annual NO2 standard is 0.053 ppm, equal to 53 ppb, which is shown here for the purpose of clearer comparison to the 1-hour standard.
(3) Final rule signed March 12, 2008. The 1997 ozone standard (0.08 ppm, annual fourth-highest daily maximum 8-hour concentration, averaged over 3 years) and related implementation rules remain in place. In 1997, EPA revoked the 1-hour ozone standard (0.12 ppm, not to be exceeded more than once per year) in all areas, although some areas have continued obligations under that standard (“anti-backsliding”). The 1-hour ozone standard is attained when the expected number of days per calendar year with maximum hourly average concentrations above 0.12 ppm is less than or equal to 1.
(4) Final rule signed June 2, 2010. The 1971 annual and 24-hour SO2 standards were revoked in that same rulemaking. However, these standards remain in effect until one year after an area is designated for the 2010 standard, except in areas designated nonattainment for the 1971 standards, where the 1971 standards remain in effect until implementation plans to attain or maintain the 2010 standard are approved.
AMBIENT AIR MONITORING SITES
AMBIENT AIR MONITORING DATA
OTHER LINKS TO AIR QUALITY DATA
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