Continuous Emission Monitoring, 3rd Edition

CHAPTER 2CEM REGULATIONS

Environmental control agencies have been the driving force for the installation of continuous emission monitoring systems. The emergence of CEM regulation in the 1970s brought a new perspective to emissions monitoring by requiring a wide range of sources to install systems and by requiring the installed systems to meet specified levels of performance. Although instrumentation had been applied in the 1960s to monitor product loss in the process industries, it was not until environmental control agencies began implementing pollutant monitoring rules that the CEM industry began to develop. This development began almost simultaneously in the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). Monitoring requirements have since extended throughout the European Union (EU), to Canada, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia.

National environmental regulatory programs have been initiated to protect the health and welfare of their citizens. Ultimately, regulatory agencies establish limits for pollutant emissions from stationary, mobile, and area sources. This book addresses emissions from stationary sources, i.e., emissions from “smoke stacks.” By measuring the amount of pollutants emitted from stationary sources, assessments can be made as to their contribution to environmental problems. The data that they generate can also serve as a basis for future emission control regulations. Once in place, continuous emission monitoring systems provide a means of ...