EPA proposes change to national fine particulate pollution standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed a change to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate pollution to improve breathing conditions for communities, according to a press release from the agency.

Using recent heath data and scientific evidence, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking to change the annual fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) standard to a level between 9 µg/m³ and 10 µg/m³ instead of the current 12 µg/m³. These small particles —emitted from construction sites, unpaved roads, smokestacks or fires, or formed in the atmosphere from power plant, industrial facilities and vehicle pollution — can penetrate into the deep lungs and cause asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature death, according to the release.

The release noted that the EPA also will take public comments on the range of 8 µg/m³ to 11 µg/m³, proposed in the recent report from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee.

According to the release, several benefits are expected if the EPA’s proposed change to the annual PM_2.5 standard is finalized. This change would prevent:

• “up to 4,200 premature deaths per year;
• 270,000 lost workdays per year;
• result in as much as $43 billion in net health benefits in 2032.”

Similar to the EPA’s finalized Clean Trucks Plan and President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, this proposed change is another air pollution reduction effort of the current administration.

The EPA is not proposing a change to the current 24-hour PM standard of 35 µg/m³; however, the release said they will also take comments on this standard because the Clear Air Scientific Advisory Committee recommends 25 µg/m³, according to a press release from the American Lung Association.

“Our work to deliver clean, breathable air for everyone is a top priority at EPA, and this proposal will help ensure that all communities, especially the most vulnerable among us, are protected from exposure to harmful pollution,” Michael S. Regan, administrator of the EPA, said in the release. “This proposal to deliver stronger health protections against particulate matter is grounded in the best available science, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to scientific integrity and a rigorous scientific process.”

Despite this effort by the EPA to strengthen air quality standards, the press release from the American Lung Association says the proposal “misses the mark” by not taking the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee’s recommendations.

“Rather than actually proposing the science-based, most protective 8 µg/m³ annual level or the 25 µg/m³ 24-hour level, EPA is only inviting comments on those protective levels,” Harold Wimmer, the American Lung Association’s president and CEO, said in the release. “This falls far short of what is needed to meet the White House’s stated goals of furthering public health and environmental justice. The Clean Air Act requires standards that are requisite to protect public health with an adequate margin of safety. EPA must follow the law and strengthen both the annual and 24-hour standard to protect public health.”

According to the release, the American Lung Association will file comments to the EPA about their proposal.

Reference:

• Lung association responds to proposed updates to national particle pollution standards: EPA’s proposal falls far short and must be strengthened. https://www.lung.org/media/press-releases/2023-pm-naaqs-proposal-statement. Published Jan. 6, 2023. Accessed Jan. 6, 2023.