Lead State Planning

The Clean Air Act regulates lead as a criteria pollutant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead (Pb). These standards include both primary standards to protect public health and secondary standards to protect the environment. EPA reviews pollutant standards every five years. Sometimes, a review results in a tightened standard. On Oct. 15, 2008, the EPA revised its standard for lead for the first time since the original 1978 lead standard was established. The revision strengthened the 1978 standard tenfold, lowering the standard for airborne lead from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m³) to 0.15 µg/m³. 

The lead standards below include the state implementation plan elements developed for each of the standards and the relevant documents associated with the boundary designations. If you are looking for a document that is not available on our website, please submit a Open Records/ Sunshine Law Request. For more information about lead, visit the department's Lead in Missouri webpage.

2008 Standard

Three-month Rolling Average Lead Standard = 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m³). The standard is not met if the three-month rolling average concentration exceeds that level once or more within a three-year period.

2008 Standard Boundary Designations

MoDNR Submittal Date	MoDNR Action/Document	EPA Date	EPA Action/Document
Dec. 3, 2009	2008 Lead Designation and Boundary Recommendations	Nov. 22, 2011	Air Quality Designations for the 2008 Lead (Pb) National Ambient Air Quality Standards [76 FR 72097] Effective: Dec. 31, 2011
N/A	N/A	June 14, 2011	EPA 2011 Preliminary Decision to Designate Remainder of the State as Unclassifiable/ Attainment - 120-day letter for the second round designations
N/A	N/A	June 11, 2010	EPA Response to Recommendations on 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Lead - 120-day letter for the first round designations

2008 Standard Herculaneum Actions

MoDNR Submittal Date	MoDNR Action/Document	EPA Date	EPA Action/Document
Sept. 1, 2021	MoDNR Response Letter to EPA Letter Regarding Monitoring Issues at Dunklin High School	July 7, 2021	EPA Letter Regarding Herculaneum Violation of the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standard
April 17, 2013	Attainment Demonstration for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standard: Herculaneum Lead Nonattainment Area Doe Run Resources Corp. Consent Judgment (13JE-CC00557)	Oct. 20, 2014	Air Quality State Implementation Plans; Approval and Promulgation: Missouri; 2013 State Implementation Plan for the 2008 Lead Standard [79 FR 62572]

2008 Standard Buick Actions

MoDNR Submittal Date	MoDNR Action/Document	EPA Date	EPA Action/Document
Sept. 24, 2013	Modification to the Attainment Demonstration for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standard: Buick/ Viburnum Trend Lead Nonattainment Area	Aug. 28, 2015	Approval and Promulgation of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Missouri; 2013 Missouri State Implementation Plan for the 2008 Lead Standard [80 FR 52190]
April 17, 2013	Attainment Demonstration for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standard: Buick/ Viburnum Trend Lead Nonattainment Area

2008 Standard Exide Technologies-Canon Hollow Facility Actions

MoDNR Submittal Date	MoDNR Action/Document	EPA Date	EPA Action/Document
Oct. 15, 2014	2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standard Compliance Plan: Exide Technologies-Canon Hollow Facility	Sept. 26, 2016	Approval of Air Quality Implementation Plans; Missouri State Implementation Plan for the 2008 Lead Standard [81 FR 65987]

2008 Standard Glover SIPs Actions

MoDNR Submittal Date	MoDNR Action/Document	EPA Date	EPA Action/Document
Oct. 7, 2020	Plan for Continued Attainment of the 2008 Lead Standard in Liberty and Arcadia Townships in Iron County: Doe Run-Glover Facility	Pending	Pending