Washington, Feb 7 (EFE).- US President Joe Biden’s administration announced Wednesday new controls on soot, one of the deadliest air pollutants that disproportionately affects Hispanic and Black communities.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released soot pollution limits, approximately 30 times smaller than a human hair, known as PM2.5 from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter.
Such particles penetrate people’s lungs and bloodstream, causing inflammation and other chronic health problems. Long-term exposure poses greater risks, such as heart attacks, strokes, dementia, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease.
According to the American Lung Association, about 63 million people in the United States are exposed daily to dangerous amounts of soot.
In a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Health and Pollution, researchers estimated that PM2.5 particles kill up to 100,000 people nationwide each year, making it one of the most significant public health risks in the US.
For the first time in over a decade, EPA decided to tighten regulations on soot for the first time.
“By strengthening the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to nine micrograms per cubic meter, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s updated standard will save lives,” said EPA’s press release.
According to the EPA, the new standards will prevent approximately 4,500 premature deaths per year in the United States by 2032 and will stop around 800,000 emergency room visits due to asthma problems.
Additionally, the EPA estimates that reducing exposure to pollution would decrease healthcare costs by about $46 billion by 2032.
Benefits for the most vulnerable communities
These standards are expected to have a significant impact on those who currently breathe the most polluted air: Black and Hispanic communities, which have been exposed to higher levels of polluted air according to several studies.
“President Biden and EPA Administrator Regan’s new soot pollution limits will save thousands of lives and slash air pollution for people across the country, especially those disproportionately impacted by deadly particle pollution,” said Margie Alt, Director of the Climate Action Campaign.
Antonieta Cadiz from the same organization considered it a remarkable contrast with the government of Donald Trump (2017-2021), who in 2020 decided to maintain the current standards on soot instead of tightening them, contradicting the opinions of scientists from the EPA.EFE
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