Chemicals in the Environment

Air

Clean air is vitally important to healthy bodies and healthy communities. Chemical contamination threatens both indoor and outdoor air quality. Environmental tests are necessary to indentify harmful chemicals in the air.

Indoor Air Quality
Research suggests that indoor pollutants may have a more adverse effect on human health than outdoor sources of pollution. Yet the US has no comprehensive system to monitor the quality of indoor air. Potential sources of indoor air pollution include tobacco smoke, building materials, cleaning materials, pesticides and outdoor air pollution that seeps into buildings.

Outdoor Air Quality
Under the Clean Air Act, EPA sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common outdoor air pollutants: ground-level ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and lead. Environmental laboratories follow the NAAQS when evaluating the air to determine if the air quality is harmful to human and the environment. Measurements of pollutant concentrations in the air are taken at more than 5,000 monitoring sites across the country.

Water

The Earth’s water must be protected from contamination. The Clean Water Act sets a national goal to restore and protect the integrity of the nation’s waters. Many federal agencies work together to assess, measure and maintain the quality of estuarine and stream resources, the nation’s coastal areas and populations of fish, shellfish and wildlife as well as to preserve water resources for recreational use.

Land

Like air and water, the land must be protected from harmful contamination. The land provides food, shelter, habitation for wildlife, minerals and energy and a host of other resources. Harmful substances that are released into the land must be prevented, monitored, controlled and removed. Soil samples are routinely tested by EPA to measure and regulate contamination.