State of California AIR RESOURCES BOARD State Building Auditorium 107 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA March 4, 1981 10:00 a.m. AGENDA 81-3-1 Report on the Air Resources Board Acid Rain Symposium. 81-3-2 Adverse Health Effects of Air Pollutants: Recent Findings. 81-3-3 Status Report on the Assessment of Technology for Meeting a 0.4 grams per mile NOx Standard in 1983. 81-3-4 Other Business a. Executive Session Personnel Litigation b. Research Proposals c. Delegations to Executive Officer ITEM NO.: 81-3-1 Report on the Air Resources Board Acid Rain Symposium. INTRODUCTION Acid precipitation was recently described as one of the two major environmental problems facing the nation today. Until recently, the phenomenon of acid rain was thought to occur only in Europe, Canada and the northeastern United States. However, recent studies have documented the occurrence of acid precipitation in the state of California[1,2]. Because of the potentially serious environmental consequences of acid rain in California, the staff arranged a symposium in San Francisco on January 14 and 15, 1981. Expert scientists from outside the State came and presented papers; more than 250 persons registered and participated in the symposium. The staff's objective was to learn from the experience of others exactly what adverse effects are to be expected from acid precipitation, what early warning signals we might look for in detecting damage and what additional research may need to be done to answer the remaining questions. This report to the Board provides a brief summary of what we learned at the Symposium. It will, we hope, provide a basis for moving ahead with additional research which, in turn, will provide a basis for action necessary in California to avoid the severe ecological damage from acid rain reported in other parts of the world.