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THE PITTSBURGH AIR POLLUTION EPISODE OF NOVEMBER 17-21 1975: AIR QUALITY
Citation:
Baty, D., J. Sune, AND D. Hinton. THE PITTSBURGH AIR POLLUTION EPISODE OF NOVEMBER 17-21 1975: AIR QUALITY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/1-77/014 (NTIS PB266376).
Description:
In November 1975 a serious air stagnation problem developed over Western Pennsylvania, with extremely heavy air pollution in the Pittsburgh area. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Health Effects Research Laboratory (HERL) mobilized a team of air monitoring and epidemiological personnel to study the nature of pollutants and to determine the possible health effects from this pollution. By Wednesday, November 19, pollution levels reached emergency stage, as determined by the standards of the Allegheny County Health Department, with particulate concentrations measuring 7.0 COH/1000 ft. for a 24-hr. average. HERL sent an EPA Community Health Air Monitoring Program (CHAMP) mobile monitoring laboratory van from Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to provide independent verification of the Allegheny County monitoring data. School children were tested for pulmonary function near the site of monitoring facilities. This report describes and discusses EPA's monitoring effort during and after the pollution alert.