Air Toxics
Each state is responsible for developing and implementing plans to help reduce national air-toxics emissions. In Texas, the TCEQ is responsible. Criteria pollutants such as ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and lead are regulated under other federal standards.
The TCEQ toxicology staff uses ambient air monitoring to assess the potential for measured concentrations of air toxics to impair health and cause odors.
A summary of monitoring sites and the parameters monitored at each site can be obtained by clicking on a region below.
To assess potential welfare effects for monitoring results, the TCEQ toxicology staff uses odor- and vegetation-based AMCVs.
Community Air Toxics Monitoring Network
Canister samples collected throughout the state's urban and industrial areas are collected every 6th day and analyzed using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer.
Automated Gas Chromatograph Network
Automated Gas Chromatography samplers (AutoGCs) located throughout the greater Houston, Dallas, El Paso, Corpus Christi, and Odessa areas monitor for VOCs. One 40-minute sample is collected each hour and analyzed automatically on-site.
Carbonyls
Carbonyl samples from the Houston, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and El Paso areas are collected every 6th day and analyzed for carbonyl compounds using high-performance liquid chromatography.
Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons
As part of an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency border grant, the TCEQ monitors polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations in air at sites along the Texas-Mexico border. Samples are collected every 6th day and analyzed for PAH compounds using a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer.
Metals
TSP, PM10 and PM2.5 filter samplers monitor for air toxics-metals. Twenty-four-hour samples are collected every sixth or third day.
Benzene Fenceline Monitoring
In December 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued the Refinery MACT (maximum achievable control technology) Rule to further control toxic air emissions from petroleum refineries and provide important information about refinery emissions to the public and neighboring communities. This rule requires refineries to monitor benzene emissions at key emission sources within their facilities and around their fence lines. The TCEQ toxicology staff have evaluated this data to assess the potential for measured benzene concentrations to impact health.