Environmental Management
Toxic air pollutants are a significant concern at both the federal and state level. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates 186 "hazardous air pollutants" under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. EPA limits their emissions through rigorous performance standards for companies emitting any hazardous air pollutant in significant quantities.
At the state level, New Hampshire began regulating toxic air pollutants even before the 1990 Amendments. The New Hampshire Air Toxics Control Program, enacted in 1987 and revised in 1996, protects public health by reducing human exposure to toxic air pollutants. The program is codified in NH RSA Chapter 125-I, Air Toxics Control Act, and in NH Code of Administrative Rules Chapter Env-A 1400, Regulated Toxic Air Pollutants. A list of 750 regulated toxic air pollutants (RTAPs) is updated yearly by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. The most recent UNH Env-A 1400 Air Toxics Compliance Demonstration Update can be found in the Knowledge Base - or by clicking here.
Any business or industry in New Hampshire that emits a RTAP into the air is subject to the requirements of Env-A 1400. Sources are regulated through a statewide air permitting system and include any new, modified, or existing stationary source, area source or device. All New Hampshire sources were required to be in compliance with Env-A 1400 by May 8, 2001. Any new source must be in compliance upon start-up.
Working collaboratively with the UNH Facilities Operations and Maintenance, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety oversees the UNH Refrigerant Management Program.
The UNH Refrigerant Management Program (RMP) facilitates compliance with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations which apply to stratospheric Ozone Depleting Substances (ODSs) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) used in stationary and motor vehicle refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The RMP maximizes the recycling of ODSs and minimizes the release of ODSs to the atmosphere from the servicing, repairing, maintaining and disposing of refrigeration appliances on campus.
Indoor Air Quality Management
In an effort to minimize and prevent Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues from occurring in campus buildings, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) in collaboration with the Sustainability Institute and UNH Facilities has developed an IAQ Management Plan to assist in providing UNH faculty, staff, students, guests, and visitors indoor environments which are free of airborne contaminants. The IAQ Management Plan is a pro-active program where building occupants can participate through education and outreach to identify potential sources of pollutants and implement corrective actions to eliminate them. Through a concerted effort by building stakeholders, Facilities Operations, Campus Energy and OEHS, this pro-active plan is designed to educate and inform the community about addressing IAQ concerns in the workplace.
To obtain additional information regarding the Indoor Air Quality Management Plan or to report an indoor air quality concern, please click the link below to access the EH&S Indoor Air Quality webpage.
View Air Quality Knowledge Base
The Knowledge Base contains forms, instruction and training material, minutes, policies, tools and other resources to support your research efforts by topic area.
**Historic reports, prior to 2016, are available on request from OEHS. Email KMyer@unh.edu to request historic reports**
