Today EPA announced our latest step in clean air protection: stronger national air quality
standards for fine particle pollution – also known as particulate matter or PM 2.5 – including
soot.
The updated annual standards will do more to protect the health and well being of American
families.
Science shows us that microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs.
This can lead to a wide range of serious – and costly – health effects, including heart
attacks, strokes and aggravated asthma.
Exposure to fine particle pollution is estimated to cause tens of thousands of premature deaths
each year.
The standards we finalized this week will reduce the impact of these illnesses on Americans.
They will also help them avoid expensive trips to the emergency room and extended hospital
stays.
It’s estimated that by 2020 the strengthened PM 2.5 standards could provide health benefits
worth billions of dollars each year.
Thanks to safeguards we’ve already put in place we’ve made great strides towards reducing
particulate matter in the years to come.
What that means is that the vast majority of American communities will meet the updated
standards by 2020 without taking any new action at all.
In fact, in 99 percent of our nation’s counties, the standards will require no additional state
or local efforts to implement.
In this case, the benefits far outweigh the costs.
By strengthening the annual PM 2.5 standards, EPA and the Obama Administration have taken
one more step towards cleaner air and healthier communities across the country.