w
hat is being done about
haze?
To reduce haze, we must reduce emissions of haze-forming pollutants
across broad areas of the country. Several programs are already in place
to reduce these air pollutants over the next 10 years. State and local air
quality agencies play an important role in the success of these programs
by ensuring that their laws and national regulations set by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are followed. As a result of these
efforts, cars and industries pollute far less now than they did in the past.
Strategies to reduce haze
^ Reduce emissions from power plants
and industrial sources
Reduce emissions from auto,
diesel truck and bus exhaust
Minimize impacts of both
planned burning and wildfires
Still, there is much to be done to reduce air pollution. In 1999, EPA issued
regulations to further reduce haze and protect visibility across the United
States. EPA and Federal Land Managers are working with state, local and
tribal authorities to promote steady improvements in visibility and provide
other protections to people and their surroundings for decades to come.
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
EPA-456/F-99-001
April 1999
What can you do?
As the U.S. population and the number of vehicles continue to increase
we are all challenged to do our part to reduce air pollution.
[f* Cut energy use; participate in your local utility's energy conservation
programs
^ Recycle
^ Carpool or use mass transit
/ Minimize open burning
^ Actively participate in state, local and federal planning efforts
to reduce air pollution
W
here can you get more
information?
Contact your State or Local Air Quality Agency
or
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps
National Parks Service - www.nature.nps.gov/ard
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - www.nature.nps.gov/ard/fws/fwsaqb.htm
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Services -
www. fs .fed .us/r6/aq/natarm
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains Nationa
70 mile visibility
low
far can you see?
Every year there are over 280 million visitors to our nation's most
treasured parks and wilderness areas. Unfortunately, many visitors
aren't able to see the spectacular vistas they expect. During much
of the year a veil of white or brown haze hangs in the air blurring
the view. Most of this haze is not natural. It is air pollution, carried
by the wind often many hundreds of miles from where it originated.
Typical visual range in most of the Western U.S. is 60 to 90 miles
or about one-half what it would be without manmade air pollution.
In most of the East, the typical visual range is 15 to 30 miles,
or about one-third of the visual range under natural conditions.
Haze conditions vary across the country. Eastern U.S. areas have more
haze due to higher pollutant and humidity levels. Visual range in many
Eastern locations is only about one-third the level it would be under natural
conditions. In many Western locations, visual range is about one-half as
good as it would be without manmade pollution.
is haze?
Haze is caused when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles
in the air. Some light is absorbed by particles. Other light is
scattered away before it reaches an observer. More pollutants mean
more absorption and scattering of light, which reduce the clarity
and color of what
we see. Some
types of particles
such as sulfates,
scatter more
light, particularly
during humid
conditions.
Pollution particles in the air absorb or scatter light
so the view is not as clear or as far as it should be.
w
here does haze-forming
pollution come from?
Air pollutants come from a variety of natural and manmade sources.
Natural sources can include windblown dust, and soot from wildfires.
Manmade sources can include motor vehicles, electric utility and
industrial fuel burning, and manufacturing operations.
25 mile visibility
Some haze-causing particles are directly emitted to the air. Others
are formed when gases emitted to the air form particles as they are
carried many miles from the source of the pollutants.
w
hat else can these
pollutants do to you and the
environment?
Some of the pollutants which form haze have also been linked to serious
health problems and environmental damage. Exposure to very small
particles in the air have been linked with increased respiratory illness,
decreased lung function, and even premature death. In addition, particles
such as nitrates and sulfates contribute to acid rain formation which makes
lakes, rivers, and streams unsuitable for many fish, and erodes buildings,
historical monuments, and paint on cars.
Sulfur dioxide gas,
emitted from utility
boilers and other
combustion sources,
react in the air to form
sulfates, which contribute
to haze problems.
Haze reduces how far and how well you can see the view.
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