The Buick NE monitoring site took over ambient air monitoring for lead from the nearby Bixby West site, which operated from February 2010 until September 2010. The department ceased operations at the Bixby West site because in mid-2010, the Doe Run Co. acquired the property on which the monitor sat. The Buick NE station gauges the impact that a nearby secondary lead smelter has on air quality. Owned by the Doe Run Co., the Buick Resource Recycling Facility in Boss lies about 1.6 miles from the Buick NE station. Doe Run's secondary lead smelter recaptures lead found in lead-acid batteries and other products.
Not long after the state's Buick NE monitor began collecting data, the department decided to begin monitoring sulfur dioxide, too, because results from unrelated air monitoring at the lead recycling plant showed that the area may be at risk of not meeting the federal standard for SO2. The unrelated air monitoring at the Buick recycling facility occurred in connection with an application for a construction permit.
Pollutants
Lead
Since 2008, the primary and secondary ambient air standards for lead have remained at 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3). The primary standard reflects EPA's concern for public health, while the second standard demonstrates concern for public welfare. EPA bases the standard on the highest rolling three-month average over a period of three years and two months. A monitoring site meets the standard when the lead concentration is less than or equal to 0.15 μg/m3 averaged over three months. The standard is not met if the concentration exceeds that level once or more within a three-year period.
- Three-month average lead concentrations for the most recent 12 months
- State map with monitors for lead in ambient air
- Additional information about Lead State Planning efforts
Technical issues can affect ability to deliver quality data. Access a table of symbols with explanation of the problems they represent.
Sulfur Dioxide
In 2010, EPA not only established a new one-hour standard, but also introduced a new form for determining compliance. The primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS), based on health effects, for SO2 is 75 parts per billion (ppb) averaged over one hour. The new form requires three years of data — the average SO2 concentration from each hour of the year. The department and EPA calculate the design value, using the 99th percentile of one-hour daily maximum concentrations, averaged over three years.
- One-hour SO2 design values
- Four highest one-hour SO2 values year-to-date
- Map of monitoring sites
Additional information about Sulfur Dioxide State Planning efforts
Technical issues can affect ability to deliver quality data. Access a table of symbols with explanation of the problems they represent.
346 Power Lane
Bixby West, MO 65439
United States
Air Pollution Control Program
Division of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 176
Jefferson City, MO 65102-0176
United States