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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released monitoring data showing that 21 areas in 14 states and Puerto Rico still do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead established in 2008.
While the data show the majority of the country is in compliance, locations that don’t meet the standard include densely populated areas of Los Angeles, Chicago, and Cleveland as well as several smaller cities, such as Muncie, Indiana; Tampa Bay, Florida; and Reading, Pennsylvania. In addition, three areas in Arizona, Tennessee, and New York still lack sufficient data for a classification.
According to EPA, the phase-out of leaded gasoline has resulted in a 93 percent drop in lead levels in the air since 1980, but lead still enters the atmosphere from smelters, iron and steel foundries, and leaded aviation fuel, as well as so-called legacy pollution (contaminated areas that release lead into the air when soil is disturbed by human activity or climate conditions).
Airborne lead can be inhaled or ingested after it settles. For more information, go to www.epa.gov.
Copyright 2012 by BuildingGreen, Inc.
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