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| Air pollution continues to be an important public health concern. A
number of air pollutants, coming out of a variety of industrial processes, impact the health of California residents.
Air monitoring shows that over 90 percent of Californians breathe unhealthy levels of one or more air pollutants
during some part of the year. The California Air Resources Board (ARB) establishes health-based ambient air quality
standards to identify outdoor pollutant levels that are considered safe for the public - including those
individuals most sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children and the elderly. |
| The ARB has set standards for eight "traditional" pollutants,
such as ozone and particulate matter. In addition to setting standards, the ARB identifies other air
pollutants as toxic air contaminants (TACs) - pollutants that may cause serious, long-term effects, such as
cancer, even at low levels. Most air toxics have no known safe levels, and some may accumulate in the body
from repeated exposures. The Board has identified about 200 pollutants as air toxics, and measures continue to
be adopted to reduce emissions of air toxics. Both traditional pollutants and toxic air contaminants
are measured statewide to assess programs for cleaning the air. The ARB works with local air pollution
control districts to reduce air pollution from all sources. |
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| Ambient Air Quality Standards |
| Information on the workshops, locations,drafts and other information on upcomming
State Ambient Air Quality Standards can be found at this location. |
| ARB - Board Health Updates |
| The Air Resources Board staff provides monthly updates regarding the latest
research findings on health and air pollution. |
| ARB - Chair's Seminar Series |
| The Air Resources Board gives and hosts many presentations and seminars
on various topics. The announcements for the seminars, videos of the webcasts and most of the presentations will
be stored in this area for download. |
| Air Toxics Program |
| Here you can find web pages on the ARB's Toxic Air Contaminant Identification
and Control Programs. Information is also available for the air toxic control measures, the Air Resources
Board’s Air Toxics Hot Spots program, asbestos, diesel exhaust and dry cleaning, the Federal Clean Air Act
Title III Activities and air toxics emission inventory database activities. |
| Asthma and Air Pollution |
| Asthma is a serious chronic lung disease that appears to be on the rise in
California, the United States and many other countries around the world. The prevalence of asthma in the U.S.
has increased by more than 75 percent since 1980; children and ... read more |
| Children's Environmental Health Protection
Act |
| The Children's Health Environmental Protection Act (Senate Bill 25) established
specific requirements to determine if children are adequately protected from the harmful effects of air pollution.
These pages summarizes the activities conducted under SB 25. |
| Children's Health Research |
| Children may be more vulnerable to harmful impacts from air pollutants
than adults for several reasons. They breathe more air than do adults, relative to their body size, and have
greater metabolic growth requirements. Their activities create both health and exposure scenarios that are unique
to children. On this page, we present the studies that are relevant to the children of California. |
| Community Health |
| This program identifies air pollution's effects on children's health, assesses
the public risks in California communities and identifies actions to reduce these public health risks. |
| Fact Sheets |
| These are some of many fact sheets ARB has produced to relay the scientific
information to the public in a "user friendly" manner. |
| See our new Health Effects of PM and Ozone Air Pollution (PDF - 229 KB) Fact Sheet. |
| Harbor Communities
Monitoring Study |
| The goal of the Project is to develop improved tools for measuring pollutant
concentrations in the air and detecting areas where concentrations of these pollutants are high. |
| Health and Clean Air Newsletter |
| The Newsletter provides information on the health impacts of air pollution
which are of concern to the citizens of California. |
| Health Effects
of Diesel Exhaust |
| Overall, diesel engine emissions are responsible for the majority of California's
known cancer risk from outdoor air pollutants. In addition, diesel soot causes visibility reduction and is a potent
global warmer. |
| Health Effects Research |
| The Air Resources Board has an active research program to investigate
the health effects associated with air pollution exposure, particularly in citizens that may be more
sensitive to air pollution effects, such as children and the elderly. Here you will find information
on some of our recent and ongoing air pollution health effects research. |
| Health Outcome Data |
| Health outcome data links are presented on this page as a resource for researchers
and the public. The links presented on this page have been collected from State and National Health agencies outside
of the ARB. No air pollution data has been factored into the any of the information in the links provided on this
page. |
| Health
Effects of Traffic |
| Many people are affected by the effects of traffic.This page has of links
to the studies that have been done and are ongoing that involve some sort of measurement of the possible exposure
to air pollution from traffic on major roads |
| Indoor Air Quality and Personal Exposure
Assessment Program |
| The California Air Resources Board (ARB) carries out a non-regulatory Indoor
Program that includes sponsored research, exposure assessment, development of indoor air quality guidelines and public
education and outreach. The goal of the Indoor Program is to identify and reduce California's exposures
to indoor air pollutants. |
| Quantified Health
Impacts of Air Pollution- NEW |
| The Air Resources Board has quantified the health impacts associated with
air pollution exposure, particularly ozone and particulate matter. Here you will find information on some of our
recent and ongoing works. |
| Research Activities |
| The Air Resources Board has a research program to investigate the health
effects associated with community air pollution, especially in people most likely to be harmed. These effects may result
from brief exposures or long, even life-long exposures. More information on this program can be found at this location. |
| School Health |
| Information on this page is related to school health, including studies of school
bus exposures and environmental health conditions in classrooms. Findings of these studies and practical actions
schools can take to reduce pollutant exposures can be found here. Two videos on the health effects of air
pollution can be viewed as well. |
| Vulnerable Populations Research Program (VPRP) |
| The Vulnerable Populations Research Program's (VPRP) will support ARB’s
regulatory and non-regulatory programs that aim to protect all California residents, including those
subpopulations considered especially vulnerable, from the adverse effects of air pollution. A major emphasis
of the VPRP is to identify susceptible subpopulations, to quantify the degree to which their health is compromised,
and to characterize their exposures to air pollutants. The ARB has released the Vulnerable Populations Research
Program's (VPRP) 2003 Progress Report and Research Plan which presents the ARB’s current activities as well
as priorities for future research efforts in this program. |
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