For the week ending June 23, 2007.

Clean-Air Advocates Find EPA's Proposed Ozone Revision Too Modest

The biggest story in air quality this week is the disappointment over the Environmenal Protection Agency's proposed revision to the National Ambient Air Quality, or ozone pollution, standard.

The current standard allows for 0.08 ppm (parts per million) of ozone-producing particle pollution every 8 hours. The EPA suggested a new range of 0.075 ppm/8-hours to 0.070 ppm/8-hours. However, the EPA's own Clean Air Advisory Committee recommends a stricter standard of 0.060 to 0.070 ppm/-8-hours. In addition, the EPA stated it may not change the standard at all.

The chief medical officer of the American Lung Association and the president of the American Thoracic Society both issued statements after the EPA's announcement, finding the suggested new level unacceptable. Even if the EPA adopts the stricter end of their proposed standard, 0.070 ppm/8-hours, both groups say sensitive groups like asthmatics, the elderly, and young children will suffer respiratory problems.

The revision comes on the heels of the recent federal appeals court ruling upholding an earlier decision that the EPA cannot go in the opposite direction and relax the current, inadequate standard.

Ozone pollution (smog) is extremely harmful to everyone, but especially to people with asthma or other respiratory disorders. Smog can cause flares, worsen asthma, and even result in premature death.

If you haven't already done so, please send an email supporting tougher ozone restrictions to the EPA. Visit the American Lung Association link below for a prewritten message, fill in your name, and send it along.


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"Smile, breathe and go slowly." -Thich Nhat Hanh



This article is not written by a medical professional, and information on this page should never be substituted for your physcian's advice. If you have any questions about your asthma and/or allergies, you should always contact your physician first.