Regional Photochemical Measurement and Modeling Studies: A Summary of the Air & Waste Management Association International Specialty Conference

Abstract

This paper summarizes the Air & Waste Management Association’s International Specialty Conference, "Regional Photochemical Measurement and Modeling Studies," held in San Diego, California, on November 8-12,1993. The purpose of the conference was to facilitate exchange of information and to initiate better communication and interaction among scientists, air quality managers, regulators, and others involved in or applying tools (models and measurements to support the modeling efforts) that can be used to develop equitable and effective emissions management practices for attainment of ozone standards. Attendees heard more than 350 presentations from authors representing nearly 30 air quality and meteorological measurement and modeling studies from 18 countries. While the primary emphasis of the conference was technical, two policy sessions were included (Plenary and Concluding Sessions) to place the technical results in perspective with the policy issues. The technical agenda was divided into three subjects: Analysis of Field Measurements (results and interpretation), Modeling (status and results), and Other Topics. Papers presented at the conference are being published in a variety of journals or books to meet the needs of the scientific and policy communities. A complete bibliographical listing of the papers presented at the conference is included with this paper.

An unexpected outcome of the conference has been the development of an initiative for continuing the intercomparison of goals and scientific findings from regional air quality studies in Europe and North America, entitled “Regional Oxidants Programs Intercomparison” (ROxPIn). This paper will also discuss the goals and objectives of ROxPIn.     

A Summary of the A&WMA/EPA International Specialty Conference

“Visibility and Fine Particles“, the fourth in a series of international specialty conferences on atmospheric visibility, was sponsored by the Air and Waste Management Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The purpose of this conference was to provide a forum to disseminate the results of recent advances in visibility and fine particles. The 110 papers presented at the conference covered six topics: policy and regulatory issues, visibility and fine particle measurements, human perception of visibility, meteorological factors affecting visibility, economic valuation of visibility, and visibility and fine particle modeling and source apportionment. Eighty-five of those papers are included in the conference Transactions and are summarized in this article.     

The Location of Maximum Exposure Due to An Instantaneous Release from a Point Source

An international specialty conference, jointly sponsored by the Air &; Waste Management Association (A&;WMA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), entitled “PM₁₀ Standards and Nontraditional Particulate Source Controls,” was held in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 12-15, 1992. The conference included 92 presentations in 17 technical sessions. Eighty-one peer-reviewed technical papers, two keynote addresses and one panel session summary describing novel applications, measurement processes, modeling techniques and control measures for nontraditional pollution sources are assembled in the Transactions¹. The technical issues addressed during the conference included: (1) measurement methods and data bases; (2) emissions source characterization; (3) source apportionment of nontraditional sources; (4) fugitive dust characterization and control technologies; (5) vegetative burning characterization and control technologies; (6) sources and controls of secondary aerosol and motor vehicle precursors; and (7) regulatory policies and State Implementation Plan (SIP) development. This paper gives an overview of the technical program     

Summary of am APCA International Specialty Conference

Ozone continues to be one of the most important air pollution problems in the United States. While significant progress has been made, certain areas of the country still experience unhealthy levels of ozone and are unlikely to achieve current primary standards by 1988. With the prospect of an influx of millions of additional people, and their cars, into these areas by the year 2000, the problem of oxidant regulation and control becomes even greater. From this realization, the Effects Division of the Air Pollution Control Association conceived this conference topic. The summary that follows highlights key issues and findings from the conference held in November 1984 in Houston, Texas. The transactions of the conference will be available from APCA headquarters in the near future.     

Highlights of the Second International Conference on Managing Hazardous Air Pollutants

As the time approaches for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate whether risks from electric utility trace substance emissions are of concern, attention is focused on research to clarify the many issues surrounding this topic. Accordingly, more than 230 representatives of industry, government, international research and academic institutions, equipment manufacturers, and engineering service firms attended the Second International Conference on Managing Hazardous Air Pollutants, which was held in Washington, D.C., on July 13–15,1993. Sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in cooperation with the EPA, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), PowerGen, Coal Research Division of the International Energy Agency, and Canadian Electrical Association, the conference featured more than 50 presentations that both asked and answered questions about utility emission sources, the atmospheric fate of emitted substances, health and environmental studies, risk assessment, and control technologies. The diversity of the audience produced a stimulating exchange of findings, interpretations, and assessments of remaining uncertainties. This exchange provided valuable direction for ongoing research activities worldwide.     

Program: Third International Clean Air Congress of Theinternational Union Ofair Pollution Prevention Associations (IUAPPA)

The host association for the Third International Clean Air Congress, Verein Deutscher Ingenieure—Kommission Rein-haltung der Luft, is happy to announce the authors who will deliver papers at the conference. The Air Pollution Control Association joins the VDI-Commission for Clean Air in inviting you to attend and participate in this significant international event.     

An analysis of biomedical waste incineration.

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) completed a series of source tests of eight operating biomedical waste incinerators (BMWI) under conditions of typical operation. The emissions of certain metals, and chlorinated dioxins and furans in the flue gases of BMWI are relatively high in comparison to emissions from other combustion sources, such as hazardous waste or municipal waste incinerators of modern design. This study reports on an analysis of the status of the existing regulatory framework and the California data base. Clarification of definitional issues at the federal level is needed to effectively treat BMWI management issues. Although few relationships among combustion parameters and emissions were uncovered, patterns of emissions were evident, suggesting commonality and relationships among the waste stream constituents and emissions. Potential implications for future research, operation of BMWI, controls and source reduction and waste segregation strategies are also discussed.     

An Analysis of Biomedical Waste Incineration

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) completed a series of source tests of eight operating biomedical waste incinerators (BMWI) under conditions of typical operation. The emissions of certain metals, and chlorinated dioxins and furans in the flue gases of BMWI are relatively high in comparison to emissions from other combustion sources, such as hazardous waste or municipal waste incinerators of modern design. This study reports on an analysis of the status of the existing regulatory framework and the California data base. Clarification of definitional issues at the federal level is needed to effectively treat BMWI management issues. Although few relationships among combustion parameters and emissions were uncovered, patterns of emissions were evident, suggesting commonality and relationships among the waste stream constituents and emissions. Potential implications for future research, operation of BMWI, controls and source reduction and waste segregation strategies are also discussed.     

Atmospheric nitrogen compounds II: emissions,transport, transformation,deposition and assessment

The Atmospheric Nitrogen Compounds II: Emissions, Transport, Transformation, Deposition and Assessment workshop was held in Chapel Hill, NC from 7 to 9 June 1999. This international conference, which served as a follow-up to the workshop held in March 1997, was sponsored by: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources; North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, North Carolina Office of the State Health Director; Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association; North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute; Air and Waste Management Association, RTP Chapter; the US Environmental Protection Agency and the North Carolina State University (College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and North Carolina Agricultural Research Service). The workshop was structured as an open forum at which scientists, policy makers, industry representatives and others could freely share current knowledge and ideas, and included international perspectives. The workshop commenced with international perspectives from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Denmark. This article summarizes the findings of the workshop and articulates future research needs and ways to address nitrogen/ammonia from intensively managed animal agriculture. The need for developing sustainable solutions for managing the animal waste problem is vital for shaping the future of North Carolina. As part of that process, all aspects of environmental issues (air, water, soil) must be addressed as part of a comprehensive and long-term strategy. There is an urgent need for North Carolina policy makers to create a new, independent organization that will build consensus and mobilize resources to find technologically and economically feasible solutions to this aspect of the animal waste problem.     

A Technical Amplification of NAPAP’s Findings

In September 1987, NAPAP released a 4-volume, 925 page interim report that summarized the effects of acidic precipitation on crops, forests, aquatic ecosystems, visibility, and human health. Following the release of the report, APCA coordinated an international conference to provide a forum for the technical amplification of the conclusions reached in NAPAP's report. Scientists from the United States and Canada were invited to participate in the conference. The focus of the meeting was concerned only with the technical aspects of the NAPAP report. At the conference, there were important research concepts presented that may require further attention before definitive, bottom line statements can be made concerning the effects of acid precipitation on the environment. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the key technical points made at the conference and provide NAPAP with additional scientific inputs as it begins to prepare for its 1990 Final Assessment Report.     

Credible Enforcement Policies Under Illegal Fishing: Does Individual Transferable Quotas Induce to Reduce the Gap Between Approved and Proposed Allowable Catches?

In general, approved Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are higher than proposed TACs by the scientific assessment and reported landings approved are higher than approved TAC. We build a simple enforcement agency’s behavior model that generates—as a rational behavior—those two facts. The model has two ingredients. First, there exists illegal fishing generated by an imperfect enforcement technology; second, the enforcement agency cannot commit on announced penalties. We show that lack of commitment increases the potential benefits for national enforcement agency of deviating from proposal (scientific optimal) quotas. Although the enforcement agency wants to announce a low quota target to induce a low level of illegal harvest, it will find optimal to revise the quota announced in order to reduce penalties and improve fishermen welfare. Therefore, agencies find it optimal to approve higher quotas than that proposed by the scientific advice. Our main result is to show that when full compliance is not possible, and national agencies cannot commit, the introduction of Individual Transferable Quotas increases the potential benefits for agencies of deviating from the optimal proposed TAC by the scientific advised.     

How clean is clean? Cleanup criteria for contaminated soil and groundwater.

An international specialty conference cosponsored by the Air & Waste Management Association's New England Section and the WF-2, EE-5 and EP-1 technical committees was held in Boston, Massachusetts on November 7-9, 1990. The technical program consisted of 39 presentations, held in eight technical sessions, exploring a wide range of topics related to the development of cleanup criteria for contaminated soil and groundwater. Supported by 11 exhibitors, the conference was attended by more than 350 professionals from the United States and other countries. This overview by the Technical Program Chair highlights a selection of the technical presentations.     

Analysis of Complex Mixtures of Vapors in Ambient Air by Fast-Gas Chromatography

An international specialty conference cosponsored by the Air & Waste Management Association's New England Section and the WF-2, EE-5 and EP-1 technical committees was held in Boston, Massachusetts on November 7-9, 1990. The technical program consisted of 39 presentations, held in eight technical sessions, exploring a wide range of topics related to the development of cleanup criteria for contaminated soil and groundwater. Supported by 11 exhibitors, the conference was attended by more than 350 professionals from the United States and other countries. This overview by the Technical Program Chair highlights a selection of the technical presentations.     

The Clean Air Act: New Enforcement and Liability Provisions

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 establish new criminal and civil liability provisions that can potentially impose substantial fines and penalties. This article reviews the Act's new enforcement and liability provisions. The authors recommend that because of the new enforcement tools available to the federal government, the regulated community should implement effective self-auditing and compliance programs at facilities to help reduce the risk of criminal liability.     

Fourteenth National Congress of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Chemistry Division, “Chemistry in a Sustainable Society,” held in Rimini (Italy) in June 2013

This report briefly presents the aims and the fields of interest of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Division (Italian Chemical Society) and the issues addressed during its national congress, held in Rimini in June 2013. The broad range of topics raised by different speakers, the variety of affiliations and institutions participating at the conference, the scientific organisations and private companies co-sponsoring the different sessions give a clear picture of the interdisciplinarity which is a hallmark of this division.     

Acid rain and air pollution: 50 years of progress in environmental science and policy

Because of its serious large-scale effects on ecosystems and its transboundary nature, acid rain received for a few decades at the end of the last century wide scientific and public interest, leading to coordinated policy actions in Europe and North America. Through these actions, in particular those under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution, air emissions were substantially reduced, and ecosystem impacts decreased. Widespread scientific research, long-term monitoring, and integrated assessment modelling formed the basis for the policy agreements. In this paper, which is based on an international symposium organised to commemorate 50 years of successful integration of air pollution research and policy, we briefly describe the scientific findings that provided the foundation for the policy development. We also discuss important characteristics of the science–policy interactions, such as the critical loads concept and the large-scale ecosystem field studies. Finally, acid rain and air pollution are set in the context of future societal developments and needs, e.g. the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. We also highlight the need to maintain and develop supporting scientific infrastructures.

     

Proactive Industrial Strategies for the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990

The Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 was signed into law by President Bush on November 15, 1990. These amendments potentially will have a major impact on virtually every industrial and many commercial facilities throughout the country. The regulations developed to implement this legislation will encompass new approaches to nonattainment, air toxics, accidental releases, acid rain, permits and enforcement. Because of the impact of this legislation the regulations will be implemented over a ten-year period. This paper is an overview of the amendments and recommended proactive strategies for industry.