Evaluation of Air Toxics
Monitoring in EPA Region 9
Fact Sheet
http://www.epa.gov/evaluate
For more information on
completed evaluations at
EPA or the Evaluation
Support Division, visit the
above link.
February 2008
Introduction
EPA Region 9—comprised of SLTs in Arizona, California, Hawaii, and Nevada—has one of
the largest and most well-developed set of air toxics monitoring programs in the country.
EPA Region 9 has also been cited as having areas with the highest level of risk from air
toxics. This evaluation was launched to assess the design and implementation of locally-
and nationally- funded air toxics monitoring activities across the region and identify ways
in which program effectiveness can be improved based on the experiences of SLTs
throughout EPA Region 9 and EPA Program Managers and staff.
Evaluation Questions
This evaluation explored four key objectives:
1. Characterize air toxics monitoring programs across EPA Region 9, including
identification of SLT objectives as well as those of EPA Region 9
2. Assess the design of EPA Region 9's air toxics monitoring programs and the extent
to which they meet stated objectives
3. Distinguish ways in which EPA Region 9's monitoring programs contribute to the
objectives of the national air toxics monitoring program and areas for improvement
4. Identify potential performance metrics for evaluating air toxics monitoring
programs at national and regional levels
Evaluation Methods
This evaluation included a series of interviews and analysis of data in the EPA Air Quality
System (AQS) database. At the onset of the evaluation, officials from EPA OAQPS, EPA
Region 9, and EPA Region 5 provided input on the direction and objectives of the
evaluation. Next, officials representing nine state and local agencies and tribes (SLT) in
the region were interviewed to collect data on the four evaluation questions listed above.
The SLTs represented in this evaluation were the Arizona Department of Environmental
Quality, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board, Hawaii
Department of Health, Joint Air Toxics Assessment Project, Nevada Division of
Environmental Protection, Placer County Air Pollution Control District, San Diego Air
Pollution Control District, and South Coast Air Quality Management District. In addition,
analysis was conducted on 2006 data in the AQS database representing air toxics
monitors maintained by these nine SLTs where one or more of the following six air toxics
were sampled: 1,3- butadiene, acrolein, acrylonitrile, benzene, formaldehyde, and
hexavalent chromium.
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Evaluation of Air Toxics
Monitoring in EPA Region 9
February 2008
Fact Sheet
http://www.epa.gov/evaluate
For more information on
completed evaluations at
EPA or the Evaluation
Support Division, visit the
above link.
Key Findings and Recommendations
The evaluation resulted in six key findings:
1. There is a significant amount of consistency in air toxics monitoring objectives
across agencies in EPA Region 9 with the national objectives, although
differences in program design and implementation reflect variation in priorities
across these objectives
2. National and SLT trends monitoring networks are complementary efforts
although SLTs have experienced challenges with participation in the NATTS
program that differ from challenges they face in their own air toxics monitoring
efforts
3. Short-term and community-scale air toxics monitoring projects play an important
role in characterizing air toxics and their health effects in EPA Region 9, while
presenting unique resource and management challenges for SLTs
4. The complex nature of air toxics monitoring increases data quality and cross-
agency data comparability challenges
5. Agencies across EPA Region 9 expressed strong interest in expanding cross-
agency communication, information sharing, collaboration, and training related
to air toxics monitoring
6. Air toxics monitoring data is being used and analyzed to varying degrees across
EPA Region 9, and there is a general sense that increased attention is needed to
effectively expand the use of the data for program planning and accountability
The evaluation resulted in five key recommendations:
1. Enhance opportunities for regional and national information sharing,
communication, and coordination on air toxics monitoring methods and results
2. Increase communication and alignment of regional air toxics monitoring program
objectives and elevate importance of linking air toxics monitoring to emissions
reductions
3. Enhance scoping of local-scale air toxics monitoring efforts and communication
about these activities to improve alignment with national, regional, state, local,
and tribal objectives
4. Collaborate to identify solutions to common data quality and comparability
problems and develop tools to enhance data usability
5. Explore methods for using air toxics monitoring data to evaluate programs and
their ability to address monitoring objectives
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Evaluation of Air Toxics
Monitoring in EPA Region 9
February 2008
Fact Sheet
Contacts
Meredith Kurpius
Air Division - EPA Region 9
Kurpius.meredithtaepa.gov
Michelle Mandolia
Evaluation Support Division - EPA OPEI
Mandolia.michelle@epa.Qov
Date Completed: February 28,2008
http://www.epa.gov/evaluate
For more information on
completed evaluations at
EPA or the Evaluation
Support Division, visit the
above link.
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