Standards for Air and Water Quality

At the end of this course students will be able to: 1. explain the concepts of air quality standards, air quality parameters; 2. mention primary sources of information on air quality standards; 3. discuss the criteria and policies for setting air quality standards; 4. explain how to predict air impacts; 5. explain the major categories of water use and causes of water quality/pollution; and 6. discuss the most common standards parameters used in assessing water quality.

The concept of air quality standards as levels of air pollutions prescribed by regulations that may not be exceeded during a specified time in a defined area. Air quality parameters: Air quality index (AQI) used by government agencies: Uses and types. The primary sources of information on air quality standards, criteria and policies: the relevant local, state and central organization that have a mandate for overseeing the air resources of the study area.: Air environmental setting; Air impacts; prediction of air impacts, impact assessment; and impact mitigation. Water quality as the chemical, physical, biological and radiological characteristics of water. The most common standards used to assess water quality: health of ecosystems, safety of human contact and drinking water. Setting standards: Role of agencies that make political and technical/scientific decisions about how the water will be used. Categories: the parameters for water quality and how they are determined by the intended user. Human consumption, industrial and domestic use of water, environmental water quality, and agricultural water quality.