GAO finds lack of funding, aging equipment plague national air pollution monitoring system

Years of budget cuts have left the U.S. air pollution monitoring system in a state of disrepair, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). 

The network of more than 4,000 sites has been in use since the 1970s, but officials said the system is deteriorating, making it difficult to track poor air quality amid an uptick in fires in the West.

Funding for the system, spearheaded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state and local government, has dropped 20 percent over the last 16 years, according to the report.

Officials interviewed by GAO complained of “increasing demands on these limited resources” as well as aging equipment. 

“According to EPA officials from a regional office, one of the states in its region resorted to shopping on eBay to purchase used equipment parts that the manufacturer had discontinued. Officials from another state agency said that they have to cannibalize decommissioned equipment for parts to keep other equipment running,” the report said.

Hazardous air pollutants, often emitted by industry, have been linked with a number of health conditions, including asthma and cancer. 

The EPA responded to the report saying they “generally agree” with the recommendations, pledging to work with state and local partners “to determine the specifics of what will be implemented.”