Soot Pollution
Metro areas violate new pollution limits
©Charlie Shoffner
Coal-fired power plants and diesel engines contribute to the majority of particulate pollution.
On December 17, 2004 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency identified areas of the country with unsafe levels of particle pollution, a significant health threat, particularly for children and the elderly. In the South, 37 counties in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina were identified as being in "nonattainment" of the federal standard for this pollution. These mostly urban areas will have to meet federal deadlines to clean their air or face stricter regulations on dirty power plants and potential loss of highway construction funds.
This is the first time EPA has designated areas with high levels of fine particulate matter - microscopic bits of pollution that penetrate deeply into lung tissue and pose a severe health threat. The pollution comes primarily from dirty power plants and other industrial sources, as well as diesel engines.
In North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama combined, 2,722 people die prematurely and over 2,000 more are hospitalized each year due to particle pollution, according to EPA estimates. Particle pollution results in 67,340 asthma attacks each year across the three states, 3,353 severe enough to require trips to the emergency room. EPA estimates that achieving the particle pollution standard would save 23,000 lives per year nationwide.
The Southern Environmental Law Center urged EPA to include enough counties in the nonattainment areas to allow comprehensive and long-lasting clean-up measures to protect public health.
Particle pollution is the main cause of the almost 24,000 deaths from power plants each year. Studies show that for people living in nonattainment regions, the increased risk of dying of lung cancer is on par with being frequently exposed to second-hand smoke.
Particle pollution consists of tiny solids and liquid droplets of acids, chemicals, metals and dust suspended in the air. The tiniest of these, those less than 2.5 micrometers, are called fine particle and can penetrate deeply into lungs.
