Description
Book SynopsisCarbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic air pollutant produced largely from vehicle emissions. Breathing CO at high concentrations leads to reduced oxygen transport by hemoglobin, which has health effects that include impaired reaction timing, headaches, lightheadedness, nausea, vomiting, weakness, clouding of consciousness, coma, and, at high enough concentrations and long enough exposure, death. In recognition of those health effects, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as directed by the Clean Air Act, established the health-based National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for CO in 1971. Most areas that were previously designated as nonattainment areas have come into compliance with the NAAQS for CO, but some locations still have difficulty in attaining the CO standards. Those locations tend to have topographical or meteorological characteristics that exacerbate pollution. In view of the challenges posed for some areas to attain compliance with the NAAQS for CO, congress
Table of Contents1 Front Matter; 2 Summary; 3 1 Sources and Effects of Carbon Monoxide Emissions; 4 2 Fairbanks Case Study; 5 3 Implications of the Fairbanks Case Study; 6 References; 7 Glossary; 8 Appendix: Biographical Information on the Committee on Carbon Monoxide Episodes in Meteorological and Topographical Problem Areas
