EPA Decides Against Revising Air Quality Standard on Smog

The Environmental Protection Agency said Monday it will not revise the U.S. air quality standard on smog, or ground-level ozone, prompting criticism from environmental and health groups.

The EPA said its Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, a group of independent scientific and technical experts, reviewed data available through early 1989 and found it did not provide evidence warranting a revision at this time.

It said it will continue to review new studies to determine whether a future revision becomes necessary. Several new studies had been published since 1989 but were not included because they had not been incorporated into the official “criteria.”

The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to review air quality standards and revise them, if necessary, every five years.

Ozone, the main element in smog, is a gas that is toxic to most living organisms and causes respiratory problems and eye irritation. It also damages plants and slows their growth.

The EPA’s latest review was prompted by a federal order issued after a 1991 lawsuit filed by the American Lung Assn. and other groups.

The current air-quality standard for ozone is 0.12 parts per million, averaged over one hour.

Many environmental groups believe that the EPA should act decisively to reduce ozone levels even further.

The American Lung Assn. said it was disappointed and dissatisfied with the EPA’s decision.

“Ozone poses a health threat to millions of people . . . in many areas where the government says the air is safe,” said Peter Baljet, chairman of the association’s National Air Conservation Commission.

“By maintaining the current standard, the EPA has traded the health of these Americans for the sake of political expediency. Ozone is still this nation’s most significant air pollution problem that must be cleaned up,” Baljet said.

The American Lung Assn., two environmental groups and five Northeast states filed their original lawsuit because the EPA had failed to review the air standard in more than 10 years.

William Rosenberg, the EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, said the agency had already taken significant steps to reduce smog levels by 10% from 1981 to 1990.