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Obama admin backs down on smog controls
photo by congvo (Flickr CC)
Smog kills. This is a well-established scientific fact.
Unhealthy ground ozone levels contribute to and exasperate allergies and asthma. Cities like London, England and Los Angeles, California are particularly bad places to live in terms of air quality. London has the worst air quality in the UK, while Los Angeles – according to the American Lung Association – is the smoggiest region in the US.
US President Barack Obama’s administration looked as if they would tighten controls on ozone levels in the country, but another compromise – aka bow to big business interests – seems to have put an end to hopes of that happening any time soon. Ozone is a major component of smog.
From an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Factually, the regulation could cost as much as $90 billion for electric companies and car manufacturers to implement. But it would bring $100 billion in health care costs savings. That’s already an economic win for the economy as a whole, but remember, too, that the $90 billion in business expenses could include buying pollution-reduction products made in America, and those create jobs. Indeed, the EPA’s analysis predicted $17 billion in economic benefits from the stricter regulations.
Ground-level ozone is formed when certain pollutants – volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) – react. Major sources of ground level ozone are motor vehicles, factories, chemical and power plants.
From the Clean Air Trust:
Long-term, repeated exposure to high levels of ozone may lead to large reductions in lung function, inflammation of the lung lining and more frequent and severe respiratory discomfort.
Republicans and big businesses that profit from pollution are of course pleased that the EPA will not be able to enforce stricter ozone controls, while environmental groups are understandably disappointed.
Read more about this story on BBC News.
Tags: EPA, Los Angeles. London, lung, Obama, Pollution, Smog
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