(a) The state board shall do both of the following:
(1) Based upon similar meteorological and geographic conditions and consideration for political boundary lines whenever practicable, divide the state into air basins to fulfill the purposes of this division.
(2) Adopt standards of ambient air quality for each air basin in consideration of the public health, safety, and welfare, including, but not limited to, health, illness, irritation to the senses, aesthetic value, interference with visibility, and effects on the economy. These standards may vary from one air basin to another. Standards relating to health effects shall be based upon the recommendations of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
(b) In its recommendations for submission to the state board pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, to the extent that information is available, shall assess the following:
(1) Exposure patterns, including, but not limited to, patterns determined by relevant data supplied by the state board, among infants and children that are likely to result in disproportionately high exposure to ambient air pollutants in comparison to the general population.
(2) Special susceptibility of infants and children to ambient air pollutants in comparison to the general population.
(3) The effects on infants and children of exposure to ambient air pollutants and other substances that have a common mechanism of toxicity.
(4) The interaction of multiple air pollutants on infants and children, including the interaction between criteria air pollutants and toxic air contaminants.
(c) In assessing the factors specified in subdivision (b), the office shall use current principles, practices, and methods used by public health professionals who are experienced practitioners in the field of human health effects assessment. The scientific basis or scientific portion of the method used by the office to assess the factors set forth in subdivision (b) shall be subject to peer review as described in Section 57004 or in a manner consistent with the peer review requirements of Section 57004. Any person may submit any information for consideration by the entity conducting the peer review, which may receive oral testimony.
(d) (1) No later than December 31, 2000, the state board in consultation with the office, shall review all existing health-based ambient air quality standards to determine whether, based on public health, scientific literature, and exposure pattern data, the standards adequately protect the health of the public, including infants and children, with an adequate margin of safety. The state board shall publish a report summarizing these findings.
(2) The state board shall revise the highest priority ambient air quality standard determined to be inadequate to protect infants and children with an adequate margin of safety, based on its report, no later than December 31, 2002. Following the revision of the highest priority standard, the state board shall revise any additional standards determined to be inadequate to protect infants and children with an adequate margin of safety, at the rate of at least one per year. The standards shall be established at levels that adequately protect the health of the public, including infants and children, with an adequate margin of safety.
(e) Nothing in this section shall restrict the authority of the state board to consider additional information in establishing ambient air quality standards or to adopt an ambient air quality standard designed to protect vulnerable populations other than infants and children.
(Amended by Stats. 1999, Ch. 731, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2000.)