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SAN LEANDRO SHORELINE DEVELOPMENT DRAFT EIR CITY OF SAN LEANDRO AIR QUALITY minimize emissions. To date, CARB has established formal control measures for 11 TACs that are identified as having no safe threshold. Air toxics from stationary sources are also regulated in California under the Air Toxics "Hot Spot" Information and Assessment Act of 1987. Under AB 2588, TAC emissions from individual facilities are quantified and prioritized by the air quality management district or air pollution control district. High priority facilities are required to perform a health risk assessment (HRA), and if specific thresholds are exceeded, are required to communicate the results to the public through notices and public meetings. At the time of the last update to the TAC list in December 1999, CARB had designated 244 compounds as TACs.19 Additionally, CARB has implemented control measures for a number of compounds that pose high risks and show potential for effective control. The majority of the estimated health risks from TACs can be attributed to relatively few compounds, the most important being particulate matter from diesel -fueled engines. In 1998, CARB identified diesel particulate matter (DPM) as a TAC. Previously, the individual chemical compounds in diesel exhaust were considered TACs. Almost all diesel exhaust particles are 10 microns or less in diameter. Because of their extremely small size, these particles can be inhaled and eventually trapped in the bronchial and alveolar regions of the lungs. 4.2.1.3 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK Federal and State Regulations Ambient Air Quality Standards The Clean Air Act (CAA) was passed in 1963 by the U.S. Congress and has been amended several times. The 1970 Clean Air Act amendments strengthened previous legislation and laid the foundation for the regulatory scheme of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1977, Congress again added several provisions, including nonattainment requirements for areas not meeting National AAQS and the Prevention of Significant Deterioration program. The 1990 amendments represent the latest in a series of federal efforts to regulate the protection of air quality in the United States. The CAA allows states to adopt more stringent standards or to include other pollution species specifics. The California Clean Air Act, signed into law in 1988, requires all areas of the State to achieve and maintain the California AAQS by the earliest practical date. The California AAQS tend to be more restrictive than the National AAQS. The National and California AAQS are the levels of air quality considered to provide a margin of safety in the protection of the public health and welfare. They are designed to protect "sensitive receptors" most susceptible to further respiratory distress, such as asthmatics, the elderly, very young children, people already weakened by other disease or illness, and persons engaged in strenuous work or exercise. Healthy adults can tolerate occasional exposure to air pollutant concentrations considerably above these minimum standards before adverse effects are observed. 19 California Air Resources Board (CARB), 1999. Final Staff Report: Update to the Toxic Air Contaminant List. 4.2-8 DECEMBER 2014