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Click on the Title of any Research Note
below to see the entire Note.
96-13:
Acid
Deposition Rates in California
New estimates of wet and dry acid deposition rates in California produced by this project using data from
the California Acid Deposition Monitoring Program and the National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends
Network will help improve our understanding of the magnitude of acidic deposition in our state. This study
was performed by Envair.
96-12:
Acid
Deposition and Aquatic Biota in the Sierra Nevada
Fish and invertebrate populations were surveyed in lakes and streams at high elevations in the Sierra
Nevada mountain range. Ultimately, these data will be used to assess the susceptibility of Sierran waters to damage
should water chemistry be altered by acid deposition. This study was performed by the University of California,
Santa Barbara.
96-11:
Driving
Patterns and Emissions: A New Testing Cycle
A new speed-versus-time vehicle emissions modeling driving cycle for light- and medium-duty vehicles was developed
that more accurately reflects real-world driving patterns than does the current standard test cycle, the Federal
Test Procedure (FTP). Emissions of carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen resulting from the new driving cycle
were found to be higher than those produced during the FTP. This project was carried out by Sierra Research,
Inc.
96-10:
Driving
Habits and Vehicle Activity
Information regarding the personal driving habits of a random sample of motorists, and details of the trips
they made, was collected in California's South Coast Air Basin. Analysis of the data revealed some significant
differences between the observed vehicle activity and the activity that is assumed in current activity models.
This study was performed by Automotive Testing and Development Services.
96-9:
Emissions
from Simulated Open-Air Burning
Air pollutant emissions factors were determined for CO, NO, NOx, SO2, total hydrocarbons, methane, nonmethane hydrocarbons,
total sulfur, CO2, particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by wind tunnel simulations of open-air
burning of six types of agricultural waste and two types of forest waste. Elemental composition and degree of light absorption
of particulate matter were also determined. Emissions were found to be affected by inlet air temperature,
amount of fuel, and wind speed. This study was performed by the University of California, Davis.
96-8:
Is
a Better Nitrogen Species Emissions Inventory Needed?
Air pollution control strategies depend on accurate tracking of emissions. The ARB's inventory of airborne
nitrogen-containing chemical species is based on fairly simplistic assumptions. This project investigated whether
it is necessary to make the inventory more accurate in order to improve developed and developing ozone and
particulate control strategies. The main conclusions of the study were that efforts should be made to improve
estimates of the mass emissions of the nitrogen-containing species, but not to determine the ratios of nitrogen-containing
species, and that particular efforts should be made to improve the ammonia emissions estimates. The results
of the study give guidance on the ways to improve the nitrogen-containing-emissions inventory that will result
in more technically sound air pollution control plans and strategies. This research was performed by the University
of California, Berkeley.
96-7:
Cleaning
and Degreasing Solvent Emissions
An emissions inventory of total organic gases was developed for the solvent cleaning category of emission
sources. The amount of solvent used in solvent cleaning and degreasing operations in California was determined
by district and by county for 1993 for various equipment groups. Specified sources of information were provided
for future annual updates of California's emissions inventory. The study was performed by E.H. Pechan and
Associates, Inc.
96-6:
Does
Ambient Nitric Acid Compromise Lung Function?
Healthy adults were exposed to nitric acid vapor with and without ozone and to ozone alone during moderate exercise.
Bronchial and upper airway lavage revealed that nitric acid levels ten times greater than peak values found in
the Los Angeles air basin caused no significant changes in several physiologic or inflammatory responses. Moreover,
the harmful effect of ozone was not enhanced in the presence of above-ambient nitric acid. This study was performed
by San Francisco General Hospital and the University of California, San Francisco.
96-5:
Aquatic
Animals in Acidic Waters of the Sierra Nevada
Chemical conditions of naturally acidic lakes of the Sierra Nevada and presence or absence of several
aquatic animals living in those lakes were compared to measurements made in nearby non-acidic lakes. This geographic
area may provide a model for long-term acidification effects on aquatic ecosystems. This study was performed
by the University of California, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
96-4:
Daily
Mortality in Los Angeles County is Higher on More Polluted Days
Researchers analyzed relationships between daily total mortality from natural causes and daily maximum pollution
and maximum temperature in Los Angeles County in the 1970's by statistical time-series methods. Mortality
significantly increased with increasing pollution at all temperatures, and also varied significantly
with temperature at all pollution levels. Relationships for winter and summer and for coastal and interior
regions were similar to relationships for all the data. Mortality of persons 65 and older increased with pollution
five to ten times faster than mortality of persons aged 45-64, suggesting that persons in relatively poor health
are more likely to die prematurely from pollution. The results of this study will be useful in future revisions
of air quality standards. This study was conducted by the University of California, Davis.
96-3:
Ambient
Ozone in Sierra Nevada Conifer Forests: 1992-1994
Ambient concentrations of ozone were monitored at six sites to characterize air quality conditions in mid-elevation
mixed-conifer forests. The sites were located in five national forests at elevations of 3,550 to 6,200 feet
on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. Over the period 1992-1994, ozone concentrations were highest in
June, July, and August; the frequency of ozone levels above 100 ppb was greatest at the southernmost sites, Mountain
Home and Shaver Lake. These studies demonstrate that ozone concentrations reach levels that can injure needles
of ozone-sensitive pine tree species. This study was performed by the University of California, Davis.
96-2:
Emissions
of Toxic Air Pollutants in Second-Hand Smoke
This project quantified emissions of selected toxic pollutants in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). concentrations
of 31 air pollutants contained in aged ETS were measured. Analysis showed that most of the compounds of interest
were present at measurable levels. Pollutant emissions were generally similar among cigarette brands, even when
"regular" cigarettes were compared to mentholated and "light" cigarettes. This study,
which updates and adds to the very limited ETS data previously available, is the only study of ETS emissions
that has been performed specifically on the most popular brands of cigarettes in California. The ARB will use the
results of this study to improve estimates of Californians' exposures to pollutants in ETS. The study was
performed by Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.
96-1:
Air
Quality Regulations and Business Location Decisions
This examination of the relationship of air quality regulations to business location decisions in California
found that the primary cause of complaints about air pollution regulations is the complex, slow, and sometimes
costly process of getting information about the regulations and obtaining permits. Compliance with air quality
regulations was found to impose a relatively small cost on businesses (0.29 percent of revenues), and to be only
one of many factors in business location decisions. Further, business relocations were not a significant cause
of the downturn of California's economy in the early 1990s. This study was performed by the California State
University, Fullerton.
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