Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Emission Summary 1985-2007

Nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is a brownish, highly reactive gas which is formed in the ambient air through the oxidation of nitric oxide (NO). Nitrogen oxides (NO_x), the term used to describe the sum of NO and NO₂, play a major role in the formation of ozone in the atmosphere through a complex series of reactions with volatile organic compounds. Anthropogenic (ie., man-made) sources of NO_x emissions account for a large majority of all nitrogen inputs to the environment. The major sources of anthropogenic NO_x emissions are mobile sources and electric utilities. Ammonia and other nitrogen compounds produced naturally do play a role in the cycling of nitrogen through the ecosystem. Exposure to NO₂ is associated with a variety of acute and chronic health effects. For more information please read the USEPA staff paper (exit DNR) on NO_x.

A graph shows the number of stationary sources reporting nitrogen oxide emissions from 1985-2007.

The graph above shows the reported actual amount of nitrogen oxide emitted from stationary air pollution sources from 1985-2007 in the State of Wisconsin. A similar graph shows how the actual tonnage of reported nitrogen oxide from stationary sources from 1985-2007. The graph shows how the reported nitrogen oxide emissions varied from year to year from approximately 135,000 tons in 1985 to approximately 95,046 tons in 2007.

The nitrogen oxide air emissions as reported from 1985-2007 were analyzed, sorted into Source Industrial Classification (SIC) codes categories. These four digit codes supply a general description of the products manufactured or sold by the company. A pie chart of the major industrial source categories showing the NOx contribution for that year can be seen by choosing any of the following years:

With the exception of Menominee County, all Wisconsin counties reported nitrogen oxide emissions from 1985-2007. This information is supplied in an Excel Spreadsheet (XLS, 30KB) which is available for downloading. This information was sorted alphabetically by county. This information does not include emissions from portable sources (i.e. rock crushers, hot mix asphalt plants.)

You can also view information by city in a county in an Excel Spreadsheet (XLS, 132KB). This information was sorted first, alphabetically by county, and second, alphabetically by municipality in that county. This information does not include emissions from portable sources (i.e. rock crushers, hot mix asphalt plants.)

Information on each reporting the facility's actual 2007 nitrogen oxide emissions are also in an Excel Spreadsheet (XLS, 255KB). This information was sorted according to facility identification number.

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