Air Toxics Emissions from the Great Lakes Region

摘要

The Great Regional Air Toxic Emissions Inventory is an ongoing initiative of the air regulatory agencies in the eight Great Lakes states and province of Ontario. The inventory organizes annual data into a standardized and accessible format. Five emission inventories have been released for calendar years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2001. The number of target pollutants increased from 82 in the 1996 - 1998 inventories to 213 pollutants in 1999 and 2001 inventories, including all those classified as hazardous air pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, the number of distinct processes, described by source classification codes (SCC), expanded from 1446 in the 1996 inventory to 2151 in the 2001 inventory. The quality of emission inventory has been improved by applying improved emission estimation methods, emission factors, activity data, and reporting requirements. This paper will categorize emission sources and pollutants. It will also analyze inconsistencies in data collection and analysis across jurisdictions, address deficiencies in regional emission estimates, and identify future improvements for preparing a more reliable and technically accurate inventory.