505 



DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE 

 Headquarters US Air Force 

 Washington DC 20330 



AF REGULATION 161-22 

 23 September 1970 



Aerospace Medicine 

 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL 



This regulation establishes policies, assigns responsibilities, and provides criteria and stand- 

 ards for an environmental pollution abatement program. It requires HQ VSAF Air Staff 

 offices and MAJCOMs to establish and implement procedures to insure that their activities are 

 conducted in a way to minimize environmental pollution. It implements DOD Directives 

 5100.50, June 23, 1970, and 5030.41, May 23, 1969. It applies to all Air Force installations 

 and facilities, including Air Force Reserve and contractor activities located on real property 

 under Air Force jurisdiction. 



Paragraph 



Environmental Pollution Explained 1 



Air Force Policy 2 



HQ USAF Responsibilities 3 



Major Command Responsibilities 4 



Criteria and Standards 5 



Submitting Reports and Comments 6 



Attachment Page 



1. References 7 



1. Environmental Pollution Explained. As 



used in this regulation, environmental pollu- 

 tion is the presence of physical, chemical, and 

 biological elements or agents that adversely 

 affect human health or welfare, unfavorably 

 alter ecological balances of importance to 

 human life, affect species of animal or plant 

 life that are of importance to man, or degrade 

 the utility of the environment for aesthetic 

 and recreation purposes. Control of envi- 

 ronmental pollution requires consideration of 

 air, water, and land, and must extend to noise, 

 improper solid waste management, and elec- 

 tromagnetic energy, as well as things conven- 

 tionally thought of as pollutants. 



2. Air Force Policy 



a. Air Force commanders will : 



(1) Eliminate or control environmental 

 pollutants generated by or resulting from Air 

 Force operations or from contractor opera- 

 tions on real property owned or leased by the 

 Air Force. 



(2) Lead in preventing, controlling, and 

 abating environmental pollution by accelerat- 



ing corrective measures at Air Force installa- 

 tions and by actively seeking the cooperation 

 of local communities in developing area-pollu- 

 tion abatement programs. 



(3) Provide for environmental pollution 

 control measures in designs for new build- 

 ings, facilities, weapon systems, operations, 

 tests, exercises, procedures, and projects for 

 rehabilitation or modification of structures. 



(4) Comply not only with Air Force 

 directives relating to pollution criteria and 

 standards but also with related directives 

 published by the Department of Health, Edu- 

 cation, and Welfare (HEW) ; the Federal 

 Water Quality Administration (FWQA) , De- 

 partment of the Interior ; and state and local 

 pollution abatement agencies in the area. 

 HEW or FWQA standards and criteria apply 

 when state or local agencies prescribe less 

 stringent ones or none at all. Refer to the 

 Surgeon General, HQ USAF/SGP for reso- 

 lution of the problem with the appropriate 

 agency, if: 



(a) A conflict arises on the applica- 

 bility of any criteria or standard, or 



(b) Applying a prescribed criteria or 



Supersedes APR 161-22, 21 April 1966. (For summary of revised, deleted, or added material, see signature 

 page.) 



OPR: SGPAAP 



DISTRIBUTION: S 



62-513 O - 71 - 33 



