SECTIONS 39900-39905 - California Statutes

HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE

SECTION 39900-39905

39900. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
Atmospheric Acidity Protection Act of 1988.

39901. The Legislature finds and declares that the deposition of
atmospheric acidity resulting from other than natural sources is
occurring in various regions of California, and that the continued
deposition of this acidity, alone or in combination with other
man-made pollutants and naturally occurring phenomena, could have
potentially significant adverse effects on public health, the
environment, and the economy.

39902. The Legislature further finds and declares that the State
Air Resources Board has recently completed a multiyear acid
deposition research and monitoring program under the Kapiloff Acid
Deposition Act and that the research findings of the state board
support the following conclusions with respect to the nature of the
problem of deposition of acidity from the atmosphere in California:
(a) Acid atmospheres, in the form of fogs, and dry gases and
particles, are found in areas where large numbers of people live and
work, and, in many heavily populated areas of California, fogs
typically contain acids and acidifying substances that aggravate
asthmatic symptoms and may have other adverse health effects.
(b) Acid rain occurs in California in a pattern which generally
reflects the spatial distribution of man-made sources of sulfur and
nitrogen precursors of acid deposition throughout the state, and can
be as much as 100 to 300 times as acidic as rain that falls in
unpolluted locations. The acidity of rainfall in the spring and
summer can be as high in California as in the eastern United States.
(c) Dry acid deposition due to fog, gases, and particles produced
in the atmosphere is relatively more important than wet deposition
due to rain or snow in California. While nitric acid, formed in the
atmosphere from emissions of nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, is a
major constituent of atmospheric acidity in California, sulfuric acid
accounts for a significant fraction of acidity within the state.
(d) Organisms in the food chain that supports sport fisheries in
Sierra lakes and streams could be diminished by temporary exposures
to highly acidic "pulses" during summer storms or snow melt.
(e) Forests adjacent to southern California and on the western
slope of the Sierras receive significant exposure to acidity
deposited from the atmosphere, and may be adversely affected by the
acidity alone, or in combination with other pollutants. Forests may
also be damaged indirectly through changes in soil chemistry and by
increased susceptibility to insects and disease, as a result of
stress on the forest ecosystem caused by the deposition of acidity.
(f) Agricultural crops, which are already known to suffer
significant economic damage due to exposure to ozone, may suffer
additional damage from exposure to highly acidic fogs and other forms
of acid deposition.
(g) Damage to materials such as painted surfaces and treated
metals from exposure to high levels of acidity causes significant
economic losses in parts of the state.

39903. The Legislature declares that it is the purpose of the
program established by this chapter to do all of the following:
(a) Determine the extent to which atmospheric acidity, alone or in
combination with other pollutants, adversely affects public health,
and the levels and duration of exposure at which those effects may be
expected to occur.
(b) Document the long-term trends of all forms of atmospheric
acidity deposited in California, the trends in lake and stream
chemistry of sensitive watersheds, the quantity and chemical
composition of acidic deposition, and the cumulative potential for
damage to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
(c) Develop techniques for the early detection of changes in
aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, including the chemistry of soils,
which could be expected to precede ecosystem damage due to the
deposition of atmospheric acidity, based on the latest scientific
research, both in the United States as well as in other countries
where the deposition of acidity has caused environmental damage.
(d) Determine the relationship between ambient concentrations of
acidity and particles, and variations in atmospheric deposition
rates; the relationship between sources of acidic pollutants and the
deposition of atmospheric acidity at receptor areas; and the extent
of transport and deposition of acid pollutants to mountainous areas
and high-elevation watersheds.
(e) Estimate potential economic losses which may be expected to
result from the long-term effects of atmospheric acidity, including,
but not limited to, impacts on health, worker productivity,
materials, fisheries, forests, recreation, and agriculture.
(f) Develop and adopt standards, to the extent supportable by
scientific data, at levels which are necessary and appropriate to
protect public health and sensitive ecosystems from adverse effects
resulting from atmospheric acidity.

39904. (a) The state board shall adopt and implement an Atmospheric
Acidity Protection Program (AAPP), to determine the nature and
extent of potential damage to public health and the state's ecosystem
which may be expected to result from atmospheric acidity, and to
develop measures which may be needed for the protection of public
health and sensitive ecosystems within the state.
(b) The program shall commence upon the final compilation of
information obtained pursuant to the former Kapiloff Acid Deposition
Act, shall incorporate the research results and assessments
undertaken pursuant to that act, and shall endeavor to acquire the
latest available information on the chemical and biological processes
in sensitive ecosystems which preceded the acidification of lakes
and streams in other parts of the world.
(c) The Scientific Advisory Committee on Acid Deposition,
appointed pursuant to the Kapiloff Acid Deposition Act is continued
in existence, and shall actively assist the state board in the
development and implementation of the Atmospheric Acidity Protection
Program.

39905. In developing the health and ecosystem protection program
the state board shall, at a minimum:
(a) Determine the effects of acidic atmospheres on sensitive
populations, and the health consequences of prolonged exposure to
acidic atmospheres.
(b) Conduct clinical and epidemiological studies to assess the
effects on human health of acidic aerosols and fogs in combination
with other pollutants.
(c) Analyze data from ongoing acid deposition monitoring programs
operated by the state board and the local air pollution control
districts, and relate the data to monitored changes in the chemistry
of sensitive soils and bodies of water, and results from field
exposure studies of economically significant materials.
(d) Characterize major source-receptor links for the deposition of
atmospheric acidity using the best available scientific analysis and
techniques, and the potential effects on long-term acid deposition
trends of current and future air pollution control measures within
the state.
(e) Conduct other studies or assessments as needed to carry out
the purposes of this chapter.