Tag: premature death

Study: Epa Ozone Standards Harmful

A new federal study finds ground level ozone in the air can cause lung damage and lead to premature death at levels the Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. The new study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA itself. The GLRC’s Rebecca Williams reports:

Transcript

A new federal study finds ground level ozone in the air can cause lung
damage and lead to premature death at levels the Environmental
Protection Agency considers safe. The new study was funded by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the EPA itself. The
GLRC’s Rebecca Williams reports:


Ozone is the major ingredient of smog. Ground level ozone can make
asthma worse and can even cause permanent lung damage.


A new study in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives says the
EPA’s current standards aren’t good enough. The authors say breathing
ozone at levels the EPA considers safe can increase the risk of premature
death. The authors say if there is a safe level of ozone, it’s at very low
concentrations… far below current EPA standards.


But there’s a problem. Cities already have trouble meeting the current
EPA standards. The EPA says more than 100 million Americans live in
areas that exceed what the EPA considers safe.


The EPA is reviewing the scientific evidence on ozone to decide whether
to revise its standards further.


For the GLRC, I’m Rebecca Williams.

Related Links

Epa Proposes Air Pollution Rule Change

A proposed change to an air pollution control rule has electric utilities applauding and environmentalists crying foul. The proposal comes from the Environmental Protection Agency and will make changes to the so-called “New Source Review” rules. The rules cover utility companies that make improvements to their coal-fired power plants. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Fred Kight has the story:

Transcript

A proposed change to an air pollution control rule has electric
utilities applauding and environmentalists crying foul. The proposal
comes from the Environmental Protection Agency and will make changes to
the so-called ‘New Source Review’ rules. The rules covers utility
companies that make improvements to their coal-fired power plants.
The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Fred Kight has the story:


The provision in question requires the utilities to install new and
expensive controls if the improvements result in increased air
pollution. The question is – how do you determine if there’s more
pollution?


Should it be measured as an annual total? – the current method – or by
the hour? – the proposed method.


Melissa McHenry is a spokeswoman for American Electric Power, one of
the biggest power producers in the nation…


“We support the EPA’s proposal because it provides clarity. It also
makes the rule consistent with the emissions test for other Clean Air
Act rules.”


But environmentalists claim the draft regulation would make it easier
for plants to avoid installing pollution controls.


One clean air advocate says the proposed EPA rule would lead to tens of
thousands of premature deaths by 2025.


For the GLRC, I’m Fred Kight.

Related Links