Środowisko i energia · 19.01.2010

National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone

Based on its reconsideration of the primary and secondary national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone (O 3 ) set in March 2008, EPA proposes to set different primary and secondary standards than those set in 2008 to provide requisite protection of public health and welfare, respectively. With regard to the primary standard for O 3 , EPA proposes that the level of the 8-hour primary standard, which was set at 0.075 ppm in the 2008 final rule, should instead be set at a lower level within the range of 0.060 to 0.070 parts per million (ppm), to provide increased protection for children and other "at risk" populations against an array of O 3 -related adverse health effects that range from decreased lung function and increased respiratory symptoms to serious indicators of respiratory morbidity including emergency department visits and hospital admissions for respiratory causes, and possibly cardiovascular-related morbidity as well as total non-accidental and cardiopulmonary mortality. With regard to the secondary standard for O 3 , EPA proposes that the secondary O 3 standard, which was set identical to the revised primary standard in the 2008 final rule, should instead be