U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Information on Air Quality — Hudson County, New Jersey

Air Quality in Hudson County

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has evaluated the sources of air toxins in Hudson County and estimated that the levels throughout this county are generally higher than the levels the EPA recommends for residential areas. There are three reasons for this:

  • There are a large number of cars and trucks on the road in Hudson County because the County is densely populated and is crossed by many major highways. The exhaust fumes from these cars and trucks contain several different air pollutants.
  • Small businesses, like dry cleaners and gas stations, also release small amounts of toxic chemicals into the air. Because there are so many small businesses in Hudson County, however, they are the next largest source of toxic air pollutants in Hudson County after exhaust fumes from cars and trucks.
  • Since the early 1900s, many companies have operated manufacturing plants in Hudson County. Ongoing operation of existing manufacturing plants release toxic chemicals into the air. Large manufacturing plants, however, are the smallest contributors to air pollution levels in Hudson County.

More information about the EPA's estimated levels of air pollution in Hudson County can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/dep/airtoxics/hudson.htm and http://www.epa.gov.

Airborne Chromium in Hudson County

One of the chemicals that contributes to Hudson County's air pollution levels is chromium. The most common forms of chromium in the environment are chromium(+3) and chromium(+6). Chromium(+3) is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, animals, plants, soil and dust.

Chromium(+6), which can be toxic under long-term exposure, is predominantly produced by industrial processes and can be found in a by-product of chrome-ore processing called COPR (pronounced “ko-per”).