Air Monitoring
Kentucky has operated an air quality monitoring network since July 1967. The locations of the monitoring stations are selected in accordance with U.S. EPA regulatory requirements and are generally established near populous areas or pollutant sources. Each year the station locations are reviewed to ensure that adequate coverage is being provided. The map below illustrates the counties in which past and present air monitoring activities in Kentucky have occurred.
The Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District operates its own air monitoring network.
The majority of the Division for Air Quality’s ambient air monitoring network is designed to measure the six criteria pollutants. These are pollutants that EPA has determined pose the greatest risk to public health in ambient air.
Under 40 CFR Part 50, primary and secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are established for each of these six criteria pollutants. Primary standards are defined as levels of air quality that EPA judges are necessary, with an adequate margin of safety, to protect the public health. Secondary standards are defined as levels of air quality that EPA judges are necessary to protect the public welfare from any known or anticipated adverse effects of a pollutant.
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)
Pollutant |
Average |
Primary Standard |
Secondary Standard |
Carbon Monoxide |
8-hour average |
9 ppm |
-- |
Carbon Monoxide |
1-hour |
35 ppm |
-- |
Sulfur Dioxide |
1-hour |
75 ppb |
-- |
Sulfur Dioxide |
3-hour |
-- |
0.50 ppm |
Nitrogen Dioxide |
Annual |
53 ppb |
53 ppb |
Nitrogen Dioxide |
1-hour |
100 ppb |
-- |
Lead |
Rolling 3-month average |
0.15 ug/m3 |
0.15 ug/m3 |
Ozone |
1-hour average |
0.12 ppm |
0.12 ppm |
Ozone |
8-hour average |
0.075 ppm |
0.075 ppm |
PM10 |
24-hour average |
150 ug/m3 |
150 ug/m3 |
PM2.5 |
24-hour average |
35 ug/m3 |
35 ug/m3 |
PM2.5 |
Annual average |
15 ug/m3 |
15 ug/m3 |
The remainder of the Kentucky’s ambient air monitoring network consists of sites and equipment designed to support the criteria pollutant network or to measure air pollutants for which NAAQS do not exist. These usually include acid rain stations, meteorological stations, and air toxics monitoring stations.