Link to California Outdoor Air Quality Standards

Air pollution harms the health of California citizens, damages agricultural crops, forests and other plants, and creates the haze that reduces visibility. A large body of scientific evidence associates air pollution exposure with a variety of harmful health effects. That’s why the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) have adopted ambient (outdoor) air quality standards. These legal limits on outdoor air pollution are designed to protect the health and welfare of Californians. This site describes California’s air quality standards, the air pollutants, and their harmful effects. For a complete listing of the pollutants and their associated standards check out our Ambient Air Quality Standards Chart. For more detailed information on specific pollutants with established California ambient air quality standards, click on the name of the pollutant in the list below.