The US authorities announced that they will impose stricter standards on air quality, by changing the permissible levels of fine particles in the atmosphere that pose a threat to human health.
The EPA has revealed its intention to reduce the allowable level of PM 2.5 (with a diameter of no more than 2.5 micrometers) from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a maximum of 10 micrograms.
It is assumed that the new standard will be subject to a period during which the Americans express their comments on it, before it is officially adopted.
“Our efforts to provide a clean atmosphere for all is a priority,” said EPA Administrator Michael Reagan in a statement.
Fine particles may come from several sources, including construction sites and fires, or result from complex reactions of chemicals emitted from cars, power plants, or industrial sites.
Several studies have shown the dangers of these particles to human health, as they may cause respiratory diseases.
The Environmental Protection Agency said the new standards would prevent 4,200 premature deaths annually and save about $43 billion in healthcare costs by 2032.
The last time these criteria were reviewed was in 2012.
The president of the American Lang Association, Harold Wimmer, said he was “very disappointed” with the EPA’s proposal, saying it was not enough.
“The science underscores the urgent need for stricter standards,” he said in a statement.
Beto Lugo Martinez of Clean Air Now described the proposal as a “good first step”, but considered it insufficient.
And he stressed in a statement, “These recommendations will not make much difference without the use of strategically placed sensors to measure large levels of pollution, and in the absence of the will to fine polluters that exceed the established standards.”
