This American Lung Association® website provides timely information to public health and environmental advocates about the EPA review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter.
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Statement of Norman Edelman, MD
Chief Medical Officer
American Lung Association
June 21, 2007

The proposed revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone smog announced today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are a step toward cleaner air.  While the American Lung Association is pleased that the EPA is calling for tighter standards, the agency’s plan falls short of the goal recommended by its own scientific experts.  We are particularly concerned that the EPA has left the door open to choosing options that are simply not acceptable.  We have reason to be concerned.  Read more »

It’s big polluters versus health and science –  And an EPA decision hangs in the balance Read more »

Heads of over 20 public health and environmental organizations — including the American Lung Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association — wrote EPA Administrator Steven Johnson on April 16, 2007,urging him to tighten the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone smog.  Read more »

EPA’s top children’s health advisors have urged Administrator Stephen L. Johnson to set tough new air quality standards for ozone air pollution. 

Citing serious risks to children’s health, the EPA Children’s Health Protection Advisory Commitee (CHPAC) urged EPA Administrator Johnson to set a 8-hour average standard of 0.060 ppm, down from the current standard which is effectively 0.085 ppm.  Read more »

More than 100 distinguished air pollution researchers and physicians are recommending that the U.S. EPA set much tougher new health standards for ground-level ozone, or smog.  Read more »

EPA’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) has issued some strong advice to EPA Administrator Steve Johnson on the need to strengthen the air quality standards for ozone.  In a letter dated March 26, 2007, the scientists wrote:  

“Ozone Panel members were unanimous in recommending that the level of the current primary ozone standard should be lowered from 0.08 ppm to no greater than 0.070 ppm.” 

Further, the scientists emphasized the need to provide a margin of safety in standard-setting, as required by the Clean Air Act. 

Read the full letter providing comments on EPA’s final ozone Staff Paper online: 

http://www.epa.gov/sab/pdf/casac-07-002.pdf

The recommendations from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee come on the heels of strong recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen air quality guidelines for ozone.  The WHO report, issued in full on March 23, 2007, recommends an air quality guideline of 0.051 ppm ozone, 8-hour average, to protect against respiratory effects and premature deaths due to ozone.  See the full report online: 

http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E90038.pdf

A final EPA Staff Paper on the review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone air pollution concludes that the current standard is not protective of public health and must be strengthened.  Read more »

Long-term exposure to traffic pollution may stunt the lung development of children who live near a major highway, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.  Read more »

Women living in areas with higher levels of air pollution have a greater risk of developing heart disease and dying from cardiovascular causes, according to a University of Washington study published in the New England Jouranl of Medicine.  The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI)study is one of the largest of its kind involving more than 65,000 women, ages 50 to 79, living in 36 U.S. cities.  Read more »

Check out this critical review of the last ten years of research on the health effects of fine particle pollution by two leading scientists — Dr. C. Arden Pope III of Brigham Young University and Dr. Douglas W. Dockery of Harvard School of Public Health.  Read more »