What are the major sources of air pollution in and around Burlington?

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) prepared a comprehensive list of air toxic emissions for the entire country in 1990. The summary of the emissions inventory gives us some indication of the largest contributors of air pollution in Vermont.

Motor Vehicles
The biggest source of air pollution in Vermont is the automobile. Each year, motor vehicles in Vermont emit about 1,000 tons of toxic and carcinogenic compounds into the air.

These pollutants include ozone, particulate matter, benzene, 1,3,-butadiene, formaldehyde, and styrene. Several steps have been taken over the last 20 years to improve the emissions from automobiles nation wide. However, while the controls have reduced the amount of pollution from each vehicle, the number of vehicles on Vermont roads and the number of miles they travel has increased dramatically.

Motor vehicles now travel over 6 billion miles annually in Vermont, double the amount traveled in 1972. The increase in vehicles and road miles is a trend that is expected to continue or the foreseeable future.

Additional car related sources of pollutants are gasoline spills, oil leaks, the vapors released during fuel filling, and the run-off from washing your car.

Area Sources
Heating your home with a wood stoves or fireplace may produce more air pollution in Burlington than industries. The most significant pollutants released during wood burning include nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter.

Common activities around the house and yard, such as the use of various cleaners, solvents, paints, and pesticides, are subtle pollutants that sometimes go unnoticed. Trash burning, although illegal, also emits pollutants into the air.

Point Source
Point sources of air pollution in the Burlington area include industries that emit pollutants as a byproduct of their processes. Industrial processes can release benzene, styrene, tetrachloroethylene, as well as carbon monoxide and NO_x. Information is available about what individual facilities release into the environment.

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See the data section for more information about the levels of pollutants in Burlington.