In a move that’s been expected since September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just announced that it is tightening the nationwide air pollution standards for smog. EPA said:

Smog, also known as ground-level ozone, is linked to a number of serious health problems, ranging from aggravation of asthma to increased risk of premature death in people with heart or lung disease. Ozone can even harm healthy people who work and play outdoors. The agency is proposing to replace the standards set by the previous administration, which many believe were not protective enough of human health.

Specifically:

The agency is proposing to set the “primary” standard, which protects public health, at a level between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million (ppm) measured over eight hours. Children are at the greatest risk from ozone, because their lungs are still developing, they are most likely to be active outdoors, and they are more likely than adults to have asthma. Adults with asthma or other lung diseases, and older adults are also sensitive to ozone.

EPA is also proposing to set a separate “secondary” standard to protect the environment, especially plants and trees. This seasonal standard is designed to protect plants and trees from damage occurring from repeated ozone exposure, which can reduce tree growth, damage leaves, and increase susceptibility to disease. 

The move reserves a Bush administration action, in which then-EPA administrator Stephen Johnson rejected recommendations from an agency clear air advisory panel to tighten the smog standard to somewhere between 60 and 70 parts per billion. Johnson had opted instead for a weaker standard of 75 parts per billion, prompting lawsuits and petitions for reconsideration.

EPA said today that it reversed the Bush rule after:

EPA conducted a review of the science that guided the 2008 decision, including more than 1,700 scientific studies and public comments from the 2008 rulemaking process. EPA also reviewed the findings of the independent Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which recommended standards in the ranges proposed today.

In West Virginia, air monitoring data for 2007 had shown that seven counties exceeded the Bush smog rule. Those counties, with a population of 623,000, were Berkeley, Cabell, Hancock, Kanawha, Monongalia and Wood.

We’ve blogged previously about an American Lung Association report that detailed more recent data about smog and other air pollution problems in West Virginia.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 7, 2010 at 12:14 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.