EPA Proposes to Retain Ozone NAAQS in Response to Court Remand
On May 14, 1999, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Circuit) remanded the ozone NAAQS to EPA to consider the alleged beneficial health effects of ozone pollution in shielding the public from the “harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.”
After consideration of these effects, EPA has proposed to retain the ozone NAAQS of 0.08 ppm, 8-hour average.
EPA proposed response to the court’s remand determines that information linking changes in ground-level ozone concentrations likely result from implementing the 1997 ozone NAAQS, to changes in relevant exposures to UV-B radiation is too uncertain at this time to warrant any relaxation of the standards.
EPA finds that any changes in UV-B radiation exposures would likely be very small from a public health perspective.
The 1997 ozone standard provides protection to children and other at-risk populations, against a wide range of health effects directly induced by breathing ozone, including decreased lung function increased respiratory symptoms, hospital admissions and emergency room visits for respiratory causes, inflammation of the lung, and possible long-term damage to the lungs.
Comments are due to EPA by January 14, 2002. Email: stone.susan@epa.gov.
A copy of the Federal Register notice may be found at: http://frwebgate5.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=5664806925+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve.
