EPA to cut lead emissions

Published: May 2, 2008 at 2:29 PM

WASHINGTON, May 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Thursday proposed a reduction in the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead emissions.

The change, the first since 1978, would move the standard from 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter of air to 0.30 micrograms per cubic meter, the agency said.

A review of air quality standards was ordered by U.S. District Court in St. Louis in response to a lawsuit by the Missouri Coalition for the Environment in September 2005 over the levels of lead emitted by a lead smelter in Herculaneum, Mo.

Exposure to lead pollution is associated with damage to the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and red blood cells.

The Washington Post said environmentalists are critical of the proposal, saying that it doesn't go far enough. An independent scientific advisory panel and the EPA's scientific staff said the new standard should not exceed 0.20 micrograms of lead per cubic meter. EPA staff members said it could be set as low as 0.02 micrograms, the newspaper said.

© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
NBA: Utah 104, San Antonio 101 (6 min)
Spices may help prevent breast cancer (29 min)
Quitting smoking can reverse asthma damage
Post-surgical blood clot risk
NHL: Phoenix 2, Minnesota 0
COL BKB: Texas A&M 75, North Texas 65
NBA: New York 93, Portland 84
fark
Not News: Lawsuit in Canada over music piracy. News: the infringement is valued at 60 billion. Fark:...
If there was ever a reason to click through a slide show, this is it: Girls with tattoos
Blind foreign exchange students celebrate 20 years of coming to Worcester, or so they've been led...
Ric Romero has a fan page on Facebook, it's woefully unpopulated. Please help and become a fan,...
Photoshop this crowned birdie
Caption this foot to the face