WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it plans to strengthen regulations for emissions of ozone, a smog-causing pollutant blamed for respiratory ailments affecting millions of Americans.
The EPA said recent scientific studies show that current standards leave too much harmful smog in the air and that exposure at those levels "can pose serious threats to public health," including causing asthma and other lung diseases, and can even be linked to death from respiratory and cardiovascular causes.
"Bringing ozone pollution standards in line with the latest science will clean up our air, improve access to crucial air quality information, and protect those most at risk," EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement.
And the National Association of Manufacturers said the new ozone regulation "threatens to be the most expensive ever imposed on industry in America and could jeopardize recent progress in manufacturing."
Conversely, the EPA argues that the benefits would "significantly outweigh" the costs.
"If the standards are finalized, every dollar we invest to meet them will return up to three dollars in health benefit," the EPA said. Those benefits include fewer missed days at work and school and lower health costs from asthma and heart attacks.
The new proposals will be open for public comment for 90 days, after which the agency will issue its final standards.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2014
