The EPA Is Set To Ignore Science and Risk Your Health on Particulate Pollution: Your Voice Needed

Union of Concerned Scientists - Science for a healthy planet and safer world:  Blog by Gretchen Golman: The Trump Administration is set to ignore science and risk your health on an air pollution rule that will affect millions of people in the US. EPA Administrator Wheeler        

is going against EPA scientists and against the recommendations of an independent 20-member panel of experts (whom the administration disbanded but UCS hosted to meet anyway). By June 29, we need the voices of scientists and members of the public to tell the EPA and the Trump Administration that our particulate matter (PM) standards must protect public health, as the Clean Air Act requires. Here’s a list of top points it would be useful to make in public comments.

Note: A public comment doesn’t have to be long! Everyone is spread thin these days so even a short comment is tremendously helpful. It is even helpful to note within the comment that you could have provided more analysis and detail if the comment period had been longer and not occurred during a pandemic with stay-at-home orders, childcare challenges, limited access to technology, and the other unique circumstances that are making it harder for all of us to devote full attention to agency rulemaking right now.

Retaining the current PM standards harms public health
EPA staff scientists and the Independent Particulate Matter Review Panel concluded that the current standards for particulate matter are inadequate to protect public health. Particulate matter is a microscopic mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets. Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is especially harmful to our health because it gets deeper into the lungs and harms our respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Increasing evidence shows that people are experiencing sickness and death at fine particulate matter levels at or below the current standards. Evidence shows that some groups, such as the elderly and those with respiratory illnesses, are at greater risk of health harms from particulate matter

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