The EPA also issued new threshold levels for the Air Quality Index, changing the pollution levels needed to trigger some alerts.

The Biden-Harris Administration on Wednesday finalized a stronger air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5). 

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) updated standard will strengthen 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 9 micrograms per cubic meter.

“This final air quality standard will save lives and make all people healthier, especially within America’s most vulnerable and overburdened communities,” says EPA administrator Michael S. Regan in a release. “Cleaner air means that our children have brighter futures, and people can live more productive and active lives, improving our ability to grow and develop as a nation.” 

Along with strengthening the primary annual PM2.5 standard, EPA is modifying the PM2.5 monitoring network design criteria to include a factor that accounts for the proximity of populations at increased risk of PM2.5-related health effects to sources of air pollution. This will ensure localized data collection in overburdened areas to inform future national ambient air quality standards reviews.

“A more protective annual standard will save lives, reduce asthma and COPD exacerbations, and improve the quality of air for everyone.”

Alison Lee, MD, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee

Particle pollution is of great concern to those with heart or lung disease and other vulnerable communities, including children, older adults, and people with health conditions like asthma, as well as already overburdened communities, including many communities of color and low-income communities throughout the United States. 

In June 2021, the EPA announced it would reconsider the December 2020 decision to retain the 2012 standards because the available scientific evidence and technical information indicated that the standards may not be adequate to protect public health and welfare. 

According to a release from the EPA, the agency considered the available science and technical information, as well as the recommendations of the independent advisors comprising the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) and the CASAC particulate matter expert panel, when making the decision on whether to strengthen the standards.

Based on the recommendation and public input, the EPA has set two primary standards for PM2.5: the annual standard, which EPA has revised, and a 24-hour standard, which the agency retained. EPA also retained the current primary 24-hour standard for PM10, which provides protection against coarse particles. EPA is also not changing the secondary standards for fine particles and coarse particles at this time.

The American Thoracic Society (ATS) applauded the decision. “A more protective annual standard will save lives, reduce asthma and COPD exacerbations, and improve the quality of air for everyone,” says Alison Lee, MD, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee, in a release. “While I am disappointed that EPA did not go further to address the daily PM [particulate matter] standard, today’s action by EPA is important progress and will bring cleaner air to communities across the U.S.”

In addition to a more protective annual PM standard, the EPA also issued new threshold levels for the Air Quality Index, changing the pollution levels needed to trigger some air quality alerts. 

“The new cut points for the Air Quality Index are a step towards improved communication regarding the risks of particle pollution exposure, particularly for those most susceptible to the harms of air pollution such as those with chronic respiratory disease and children,” says Franziska Rosser, MD, MPH, member of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee, in a release.

A broad and growing body of science links particle pollution to a range of serious and sometimes deadly illnesses. Many studies show that these microscopic fine particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and that long- and short-term exposure can lead to asthma attacks, missed days of school or work, heart attacks, expensive emergency room visits, and premature death.

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