According to those opposing the construction of the Titan Cement Plant in Wilmington air quality in the Wilmington area is horrible but the most recent data shows quite the opposite. In fact, air quality in New Hanover County is darn near pristine according to 2011 data.
All of the following information has been obtained from the NC Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Air Quality web site. These are the three pollutants that tend to be of the most concern.
Ozone (smog)—during the 2011 ozone season New Hanover County did not have a single high ozone day. In fact the area didn’t have a single day that even came close. The EPA 8 hr standard is 75 parts per billion (ppb) the worst day in New Hanover County last year was 65 ppb.
Sulfur Dioxide (the alleged devil for the anti-Titan crowd)—the maximum allowable for the 1 hr. standard according to the EPA is 75 ppb at the 99th percentile. New Hanover had 54 ppb at the 99th percentile.
Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5)—The EPA maximum standard is an arithmetic mean of 15 micrograms per cubic centimeters. New Hanover had 12.67.
Here’s the site . Feel free to check it out.
