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matter is more likely to penetrate deeply into the lungs and poses a serious health threat to all <br />groups, but particularly to the elderly, children, and those with respiratory problems. More than half <br />of the small and fine particulate matter that is inhaled into the lungs remains there, which can cause <br />permanent lung damage. These materials can damage health by interfering with the body’s <br />mechanisms for clearing the respiratory tract or by acting as carriers of an absorbed toxic substance. <br />Lead <br />Lead (Pb) is a metal found naturally in the environment, as well as in manufacturing products. The <br />major sources of Pb emissions historically have been mobile and industrial sources. In the early <br />1970s, the U.S. EPA set national regulations to gradually reduce the lead content in gasoline. In <br />1975, unleaded gasoline was introduced for motor vehicles equipped with catalytic converters. The <br />U.S. EPA completed the ban prohibiting the use of leaded gasoline in highway vehicles in December <br />1995. As a result of the U.S. EPA’s regulatory efforts to remove Pb from gasoline, atmospheric lead <br />concentrations have declined substantially over the past several decades. The most dramatic <br />reductions in lead emissions occurred prior to 1990 due to the removal of Pb from gasoline sold for <br />most highway vehicles. Pb emissions were further reduced substantially between 1990 and 2008, <br />with reductions occurring in the metals industries at least in part as a result of national emissions <br />standards for hazardous air pollutants (U.S. EPA 2013). As a result of phasing out leaded gasoline, <br />metal processing currently is the primary source of Pb emissions. The highest level of lead in the air <br />is generally found near lead smelters. Other stationary sources include waste incinerators, utilities, <br />and lead-acid battery manufacturers. <br />Toxic Air Contaminants <br />Public exposure to TACs is a significant environmental health issue in California. The California <br />Health and Safety Code defines a TAC as “an air pollutant which may cause or contribute to an <br />increase in mortality or in serious illness, or which may pose a present or potential hazard to human <br />health.” The majority of the estimated health risks from TACs can be attributed to relatively few <br />compounds, the most important being particulate matter from diesel-fueled engines. According to <br />BAAQMD, particulate matter emitted from diesel engines contributes more than 85 percent of the <br />cancer risk within the Air Basin and cancer risk from TAC is highest near major diesel PM sources. <br />Almost all diesel exhaust particles are 10 microns or less in diameter. Because of their extremely <br />small size, these particles can be inhaled and eventually trapped in the bronchial and alveolar <br />regions of the lungs (City San Leandro 2016i).Current Ambient Air Quality <br />CARB and the US EPA established ambient air quality standards for major pollutants, including O3, <br />CO, NO2, sulfur dioxide (SO2), Pb, and PM10 and PM2.5. Standards have been set at levels intended to <br />be protective of public health. California standards are more restrictive than federal standards for <br />each of these pollutants except for lead and the eight-hour average for CO. <br />Local air districts and CARB monitor ambient air quality to assure that air quality standards are met <br />and, if they are not met, to also develop strategies to meet the standards. Air quality monitoring <br />stations measure pollutant ground-level concentrations (typically, ten feet above ground level). <br />Depending on whether the standards are met or exceeded, the local air basin is classified as in <br />“attainment” or “non-attainment.” Some areas are unclassified, which means no monitoring data <br />are available. Unclassified areas are considered to be in attainment. Table 3 summarizes the <br />California Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) and the NAAQS for each of these pollutants as <br />well as the attainment status of the SFBAAB. As shown in the table, the SFBAAB is in nonattainment <br />142