June 2009
Front Matter
Training
25
Air Toxics
Overview (1 of 3)
•What are air toxics?
–Air toxics are gaseous, aerosol, or particle pollutants present in the air in varying concentrations with characteristics such as toxicity or persistence that can be hazardous to human, plant, or animal life.
–The terms “air toxics” and “hazardous air pollutants” (HAPs) are used interchangeably in this document.
–Air toxics include the following general categories of compounds: volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs, SVOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and carbonyl compounds.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2007c, g)