State Health Department Seeks Input in Identifying Priority Air Toxics

The state health department is hosting public meetings to discuss which air toxics Colorado should prioritize. Air toxics are pollutants that can cause health impacts, such as cancer, reproductive effects, and birth defects. Under Colorado’s Public Protections from Toxic Air Contaminants Act, the department’s Air Pollution Control Division will identify up to five priority air toxic contaminants. Then, the division will establish health-based standards and other new requirements for each of them. The division will consider any public feedback while developing a proposal for identifying the priority air toxics. The proposal would aim to complement existing federal rules on air toxics, which the division already enforces.

“Community input is helping us be proactive, transparent, and inclusive at every step. We share Coloradans’ concerns about future air toxics regulations, and we’re bringing diverse perspectives to the table to find the best path forward,” said CDPHE Air Pollution Control Division Director Michael Ogletree.

The division will discuss prioritizing air toxics and associated health-based standards during two upcoming public meetings. Registration is required: Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

While deciding which priority air toxics to propose, the division will also consider feedback from a technical working group of scientific experts. The working group started meeting in January 2024 and will continue meeting periodically until February 2025. The group’s meetings are open for public listening.

The division will request a rulemaking with the Air Quality Control Commission to identify the priority air toxics during its October 2024 meeting. If the commission accepts the rulemaking request, the hearing will be during the commission’s January 2025 meeting.

In September 2024, the technical working group will shift focus to setting health-based standards for the priority air toxics. The division will host more opportunities to provide feedback on these standards before offering a proposal for the Air Quality Control Commission later in 2025. After identifying the priority air toxics, Colorado will also consider establishing new permitting requirements and emissions control strategies for them.

This is one of many ways the division is working to address air toxics. Visit the division’s Public Protections from Air Toxics Act web page to learn more.

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Sign up for Air Pollution Control Division email updates. Explore upcoming public participation opportunities on air quality. For questions or comments, please email cdphe.commentsapcd@state.co.us.