Testing O'Hare's Air Pollution Regulators Will See If Planes' Emissions Really Are Excessive

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Travelers returning to O'Hare International Airport after a long trip might notice a fine layer of soot on cars parked there.

City officials maintain the soot is mostly from cars - not planes - but residents who live near the airport increasingly are starting to wonder just what's in that air they breathe every day.

To find out, state regulators for the first time will test the air from O'Hare over six months for hazardous air pollutants.

Jet engines shoot out benzene, formaldehyde and other known cancer-causing toxins. The new monitors will attempt to find out how much of those substances accumulate in the air.

The question is crucial to nearby residents because aircraft emissions largely are unregulated.

Since 1997, commercial jet engine manufacturers have had to meet federal standards for emissions of volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen, but not specifically for toxins such as benzene.

Older engines, some decades old, are not covered by the regulations. Unlike automobiles, jets are not required to undergo routine emissions tests while in use.

General aviation craft, including …