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Regional Differences on Sources for Ozone and Particle Pollution
Region 5: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin
Local Sources of VOCs
The Midwest produced the nation’s second highest VOC emissions — 3.5 million tons — in 1999. The largest human activity generating VOCs in the Midwest is the use of solvents, which contributes 34 percent, much higher than the U.S. nationally (27%). Highway vehicles and off-highway vehicles are about the same as the nation as a whole (28% and 19% respectively, compared to 29% and 18% nationwide). Other sources are about the same as nationwide, with industry contributing 3 percent, fuel combustion contributing 3 percent, storage and transport 7 percent, and waste disposal and recycling 3 percent.
Local Sources of NOx
The Region produced the nation’s second highest NOx emissions — 4.98 million tons — in 1999. Highway vehicles generate the largest amount of NOx in the Midwest, followed by electric utilities and off-highway vehicles. Highway vehicles generate about one-third of the NOx, similar to their percentage nationwide. However, electric utilities generate 29 percent of the region’s NOx, compared with only 23 percent nationwide. Off-highway vehicles produce 19 percent, slightly less than the nation as a whole (22 percent). Contributions from industrial fuel combustion make up a third less in Region 5 than they do in the nation (8% compared to 12%).
Local sources of Particle Pollution (PM2.5 )
The Midwest identified 679,792 short tons of particle pollution in the 1999 inventory; the region was the second largest producer of particle pollution nationwide. Miscellaneous sources of particle pollution from other combustion, and agriculture and forestry contributed 36 percent of the particle pollution in Region 5. Other fuel combustion from sources such as residential woodstoves and fireplaces comprised 14 percent of the particle pollution in the region, and waste disposal from open burning and recycling contributed 11 percent. Region 5 also produced the largest amount of particle pollution in the nation stemming from other fuel combustion sources, at 96,188 short tons. Particle pollution from transportation was similar to the nation as a whole, off-highway vehicles (9%) and highway vehicles (5%). Producing 7 percent of particle pollution emissions in the region, metals processing produced 46,914 short tons of particle pollution, more than any other region in the nation.
Trends
Monitored ozone levels dropped by 6 percent between 1983 and 2002, a trend far behind the nation as a whole, which dropped 14 percent during the same period. However, during the period 1991-2000, levels declined by 11.5 percent, 6th best regional decline in the nation. Comparable trend data are not available for PM2.5 levels.
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