Pollution has become a nuisance in the current times due to the advance of technology and change of lifestyles. Day by day, the pollutants continue to destroy the environment, nature, and air. As a way of controlling the menace, organizations and nations are laying down strict rules towards it governance. The main purpose is to create an equilibrium among the organizations and companies affected and control it. The United States Environmental Protection Agency is the governing body responsible for air pollution. Its recent strike on the county due to the failure to meet the National Ambient Quality Standards might ruin the county’s reputation. However, the county can execute some steps that to meet the standards set.
The main issues outlined by EPA are failure to meet the quality standards for sulfur dioxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. These three pollutants exist in the primary and secondary standards. The primary standards help in providing public health protection and health of sensitive populations like children, elderly, and asthmatics (E. Staff par 2). The secondary standards seek to provide the public with welfare protection, such as against damage to vegetation, animals, crops, buildings, and decreased visibility.
As a way of containing the pollutants, the county should implement the set instructions and measures provided by EPA in the NAAQS catalogue. The county’s current population stands at 200,000 people, and most of them are rural dwellers. Hence, their main economic exercise is farming. However, there are ten new suburbs coming up, implying that the county will adjust its measures with time. The county’s main source of power is coal. Some of the power plants are large and aging, making them a risk to the community. Finally, the other companies set in place tend to have advanced pollution control technology, which helps in regulation of their pollutants. The county lacks public transportation system making it more efficient to its people.
The main pollutant is the power plants. The gases and residue tend to produce the ozone, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The county should ensure the ozone levels do not pass 0.070 ppm level and 8 hours a day (H. Staff par 3). These measures apply to both primary and secondary standards. The primary standards for sulfur dioxide are a 75 ppb level and one-hour averaging time. Its secondary standards are 0.5 ppm for at least three hours. Lastly, the primary Standards for Nitrogen Dioxide should be at the 100 ppb level and have an average time of 1 hour (H. Staff par 2). Its secondary standard should be 53 ppb with an average time of one year.
These measures will guarantee the county a clean bill of health. Other factors that support the measures are the lack of a public transportation system and a low number of citizens. The public system accounts for the highest percentage of air pollution and the fewer the people; the better it is in containing the pollution.
Works Cited
Staff, EPA. National Ambient Air Quality Standards. 24 February 2016. Web. 1 March 2016. < http://www3.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/criteria.html >
Staff, HIO. National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)-Attainment Status. 2015. Web. 1 March 2016. < http://www.epa.state.oh.us/dapc/general/naaqs.aspx >
