EPA Strengthens Air Quality Standards

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced new national air quality standards that reduce by nearly 50 percent the level of inhalable particulate matter (PM) allowed in the air.

EPA defines particulate matter as a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets in the air. Exposure to particle pollution has been linked to health problems ranging from aggravated asthma to premature death in people with heart and lung disease. EPA also labels PM as the main contributor to reduced visibility in the nation’s cities and national parks.

The action reduces the EPA allowable daily fine particle standard from 65 micrograms to 35 micrograms of particles per cubic meter of air. EPA estimates the revision will result in a national annual savings of from $9 billion to $75 billion in health care costs.

"Regardless of the rhetoric, facts are facts – today EPA is delivering the most health protective national air standards in U.S. history to all 300-million Americans," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson in a press release. "As a 26-year EPA scientist, I have spent my career working to hand down a cleaner, healthier environment – and these stronger air quality standards do just that."

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