WASHINGTON, D.C. : Lung Association Sues Federal Agency

Charging that current air standards do not protect people with asthma, the American Lung Assn. filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency for declining to tighten rules on sulfur dioxide emissions. The EPA in May said it decided against revising national ambient air quality standards for sulfur dioxide because it believed standards were adequate to protect public health from sustained, low-level exposure. The lung association said its lawsuit, filed in the federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, disputed EPA’s finding that the magnitude of the sulfur dioxide problem for people with asthma is limited and does not warrant a stronger national standard.