Reducing Toxic Air Pollutants in New Hampshire

The air we breathe can become contaminated with pollutants from a variety of natural and manmade sources. Since federal legislation involving ambient air quality was enacted in 1970, air pollution control has focused on "criteria" air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), ozone (O₃), lead (Pb), and particulate matter (PM), which are primarily by-products of burning fossil fuel. In recent years, however, the focus of ambient air quality has begun to shift and now includes not only criteria air pollutants, but also "toxic" air pollutants. Toxic air pollutants are also referred to as "air toxics" or "hazardous air pollutants" (HAP_s) and are defined as those pollutants that are suspected of causing cancer or other serious health conditions.

In order to help protect the health of New Hampshire residents and preserve our environment, the Air Resources Division has developed an Air Toxics Control Program. This program, together with the US EPA program to control hazardous air pollutant emissions as set forth in Section 112 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAAs), is designed to reduce the emissions and ambient air impacts of a number of toxic air pollutants likely to be emitted by businesses and industry in the state.