Natural, Historic & Cultural Resources
Air Quality
Few things are as important as the air we breathe. Virginians have grown more concerned with emissions and the ozone they produce — but the quality of our air garners mixed reviews.
Why is This Important?
Poor air quality causes increased deaths, especially among the very young and the very old; reduces water quality; and damages forest resources, agriculture and materials. It also makes Virginia a less attractive place to live, do business in or visit — all substantial economic as well as quality-of-life consequences.
How is Virginia Doing?
Virginia is holding levels down, but has not reduced total emissions. While emissions per unit of economic activity in the state continue to fall for many pollutants, strong economic growth at the same time potentially erodes any gains in air quality that tighter emission controls might achieve.
Virginia, like most of its neighbor states, has stayed within mandated federal limits on air quality for all pollutants except for ozone. Starting in 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began using a more stringent standard for ozone exposure. Since that time, Virginia has significantly reduced the number of days of exceedences, from 117 days per year on average between 1997 and 1999 to 23 days between 2003 and 2005. Northern Virginia, with an average of nine days of exceedences between 2003 and 2005, had the poorest air quality.
There are no clear rankings of states by levels of air pollution. With a few notable exceptions, air emissions tend to track economic activity and hence, rankings of states by levels of air emissions will closely track rankings of states by economic activity.
What Influences Air Quality?
Ground level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, is a colorless gas formed by the reaction of sunlight with vehicle emissions, gasoline fumes, solvent vapors, and power plant and industrial emissions. Particle pollution is made up of particles found in soot, dust, smoke and fumes caused by burning coal, oil, diesel and other fuels. Global atmospheric circulation can cause emissions from other states and even other countries to affect Virginia. For example, much of the mercury exposure suffered by Virginians is from coal combustion in China and gold mining in South America.
Certain emissions are subject to reductions or caps mandated by state, federal and international laws and obligations. Regulations requiring reductions in emission rates per unit of activity will need to be tightened periodically to maintain air quality as economic activity grows. Regulations limiting air pollutant emissions to a certain amount per year can maintain air quality at a given level even as the economy grows.
What is the State's Role?
Air quality standards are established by the federal government. The state Department of Environmental Quality is charged with enforcing the federal standards.
What can Citizens Do?
Individuals and groups are encouraged to be active participants in resource management. To learn more about Virginia's environment, stewardship and public participation opportunities, or partners engaged in conservation, please visit the Office of the Secretary of Natural Resources, www.naturalresources.virginia.gov, or Virginia Naturally, www.vanaturally.com.
Data Definitions and Sources
Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, www.deq.state.va.us/
Definition: 8-Hour Ozone Exceedence: The number of times air quality monitors have recorded ozone concentrations greater than 84 parts per billion over an 8-hour period.
Note: Virginia Department of Environmental Quality regional configurations are used in this section.