Airborne Hexavalent Chromium from Cement Manufacturing in Western Riverside and San Bernardino Counties

Dr. Philip Fine
Atmospheric Measurement Manager
South Coast Air Quality Management District , Diamond Bar

Based   on    some    slightly    elevated    hexavalent    chromium concentrations  found  at  one  site  in  a  regional  air  toxics  study,  the  South Coast   Air   Quality   Management   District   launched   an   investigation   to determine  the  source  of  the  hexavalent  chromium  emissions. Using deposition  plates,  ambient  monitoring,  meteorological  analysis,  source apportionment, inspections, and surveillance, the source was identified as a cement manufacturing plant in the area. The primary cause was traced to outdoor storage and handling of clinker material. This presentation will summarize the full series of events beginning with the identification of the issue and ending with enhanced regulations to solve the problem.

Philip Fine, Ph.D. is the Atmospheric Measurement Manager at South Coast Air Quality Management District in Diamond Bar, CA. He oversees the  SCAQMD  ambient  network  of  over  35  air  monitoring  stations. He  is also  responsible  for  all  field  activities  of  numerous  special  air  monitoring research  projects  focusing  on  air  toxics  and  the  local  impacts  of  air pollution. Prior  to  joining  the  SCAQMD,  he  was  a  Research  Assistant Professor  at  the  University  of  Southern  California,  Los  Angeles  where  he taught courses and conducted extensive research on particulate pollution, its   health   effects,   atmospheric   science,   and   measurement   methods resulting in over 45 peer-reviewed scientific publications. He received his Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology in Environmental Engineering Science,  and  his  bachelor’s  degree  in  Mechanical  Engineering  from  the University of California, Berkeley.