Long-Term Trends in Ambient Air 1,3-Butadiene Levels in Houston,Texas

摘要

1,3-Butadiene is one of the top air pollution risk drivers in the United States. The ambient air concentrations in Houston, TX are of particular interest because of the relatively large number of stationary industrial sources that report 1,3-butadiene emissions and the relatively large number of vehicle miles traveled every day on Houston roadways. Several Federal and State regulatory programs initiated over the last two decades regulate the amount of 1,3-butadiene emitted to the air from industrial, mobile, and area sources. Emissions reductions from industrial sources in Houston have also been achieved through voluntary agreements between individual facilities and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The impact of these regulatory and voluntary initiatives on air quality has been measured by a network of 30 monitors stationed within the Houston area. Most of the area's monitors have measured reductions in annual average 1,3-butadiene levels in the range of 40-80%. The greatest decreases and statistically significant downward trends have been measured at the monitoring sites closest to industrial facilities.