It may be the commercial, political and cultural Mecca of the state, but the Triangle region of North Carolina will officially join the ranks of America's "dirtiest" areas today because of its poor air quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency will announce today that it has designated all or portions of eight counties in the Triangle as a "non-attainment" zone for failing to meet the 1997 National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ground level ozone. The counties include Durham, Orange, Wake, Chatham, Johnston, Person, Franklin and Granville Counties. Other parts of the state, including the Triad and Charlotte regions, will receive similar labels.
The Triangle's designation is based on recommendations sent to the EPA in July 2003 by North Carolina's Division of Air Quality, a branch of the Department of Natural Resources.
"This is not any surprise that the EPA non-attainment designation is coming out Thursday," said Tom Mather, a spokesperson for DAQ. "We knew that it was coming based on our monitoring."
The DAQ monitors ozone levels between April 1 and Oct. 31 of each year--the months when ozone production in the state is the highest. Between 2000 and 2003, nine of 10 ozone detectors in the Triangle showed violations of the NAAQS. In 2003 alone, there were eight "ozone action" days, meaning at least one monitor recorded levels exceeding the federal standard. Mather said this and other data were incorporated into the recommendations sent to the EPA last year.
With the new federal designation in place, the state must create and implement an air quality improvement plan for the "non-attainment" zone by 2007. The plan must include measures to ensure that transportation and industrial projects do not hinder progress toward the area's air quality goals. Mather listed transportation planning, industry controls and better inspection and maintenance of vehicles as a few of the measures the state could implement in order to decrease the discharge of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds that react in the air to produce ozone.
Mather also said existing state legislation, such as the Clean Smokestacks Act aimed at reducing nitrogen oxide discharge, and current air quality improvement programs designed to expand the state's automobile emissions testing program may relieve some of the burden of developing an expansive series of new ozone reduction measures in all non-attainment counties.
"We've probably already done the bulk of what we need to do," he said. "But in some of the bigger counties, additional controls and measures may be required."
Durham County has already enacted local measures to improve air quality. Ellen Reckhow, chair of Durham County Commissioners, said the county's school bus fleet recently began using bio-diesel fuel, and all major employers--including local policy-makers--are participating in a program to encourage alternative methods of traveling to work.
"We are practicing what we preach in Durham County Government in that we have a commuter trip reduction program, similar to what we're requiring private employers to do," she said. "We wanted to be part of the solution."
Officials acknowledge that the designation could have a detrimental effect on the economy in the non-attainment area--particularly if projected progress toward improved air quality is not made and the federal government cuts funding for transportation or industrial projects. Mather asserted, however, that he does not expect the designation "to bring an economic halt in these areas."
The Triangle has long been a major source of ozone production in the Southeast. David McKee, an environmental scientist with the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, said a number of factors contribute to the high level of ozone in the area.
"A lot of the problems in the Research Triangle Park and the Triangle area in general relate to automotive emissions," said McKee. "There are also emissions from power plants [and] any production plants that emit [pollutants].... We also have the problem of long-range pollutant transport that comes from other Midwestern states."
Along with these technology-related factors, Mather pointed to another, more "natural" cause of ozone production.
"In North Carolina, one of the reasons we have a problem with ozone is climate," he said. "[Ozone is] a product of not just pollutants, but weather conditions--hot, sunny, dry weather and not a lot of rain."
In addition to degrading ecosystems and agricultural crops, McKee said, ozone exposure can negatively impact citizen's health. Individuals with respiratory diseases--such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema--are particularly at risk. Even people who do not suffer from respiratory illnesses could also be adversely affected if they engage in vigorous outdoor activity when ozone levels are raised, he added.
"You can develop scar tissue in the lungs," McKee explained. "It has been compared to a sunburn that is repeated over time [that causes] your skin [to become] hardened. In the case of the inflammation of the lungs, over time it has been thought to result in a reduced quality of life as individuals get older because of a [similar] loss of elasticity in the lung tissue."
With health, ecological, legal and financial concerns in mind, state officials are preparing to respond to today's announcement with increased efforts to reduce ozone levels.
"It needs to be taken very seriously," Reckhow said. "A clock will start ticking, and we need to submit a plan that shows how we can move to attainment."
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