EPA May Allow Particulates to Kill More People

Scientific evidence shows that stronger standards limiting particulate pollution are needed to prevent the premature deaths of thousands of people every year in the United States, a fact that even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has agreed upon.

Particulates come from smokestacks, tailpipes, and dust from roads and fields, and are classified as "coarse" (10-2.5 microns in diameter) or "fine" (less than 2.5 microns in diameter). The "fine" particles are 1/28 the diameter of a human hair. These particles are so small that if breathed in, fall to the very bottoms of our lungs and may even be absorbed by our bloodstream.

Unfortunately, beset by industry pressure, the EPA has indicated it will adopt particulate standards weaker than those recommended by scientists. Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to set nationwide standards for soot particulate pollution that are science-based and ensure full protection of human health. The agency, however, has indicated that it may acquiesce to industry pressure to ignore human health and base its particulate standards on politics, rather than science. Commentary today from Clean Air Watch pretty much sums up the concerns.

Particulate pollution is a threat to clean air in the Rocky Mountain Region. In the last six years, communities in the Salt Lake City, Utah area have exceeded the current fine particle standard, which is set at 15 micrograms/meters cubed annually. Monitors in Salt Lake also show that the city is dangerously close to exceeding these standards, with annual levels consistently at 14.

In the Denver metro area, fine particle trends have also come dangerously close to exceeding health standards. At one monitor located at National Jewish Hospital, annual levels climbed from 7.2 to 13.5 in just three years (see chart below, data from EPA). Additionally, several communities in Colorado continue to experience unhealthy levels of coarse particulate pollution. The town of Alamosa is on track to violate the coarse particle standard of 150 micrograms/meter cubed over a 24-hour period by the end this year.

With scientists recommending stronger particulate standards, particulate pollution is becoming a much greater threat in the Rocky Mountains. Hopefully, the EPA will stick to the science as it adopts new particulate pollution standards.