Mass. AG joins coalition calling for EPA to adopt stricter air quality standards
Photo | Courtesy Andrea Campell's campaign website
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined a coalition of 17 other attorney generals across the U.S. calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt more stringent standards under the Clean Air Act to protect people from particulate matter pollution.
In a letter sent on Tuesday, Campbell requested more protective federal standards for particulate matter pollution to make sure the air quality in Massachusetts is healthy for its residents.
Campbell filed the letter in conjunction with attorney generals from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and New York City.
The coalition wants the EPA to adopt the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Particulate matter is a pollutant from vehicles, factories, and construction sites. It is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and can lead to medical conditions including premature death, asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, dementia, and cognitive impairment. It reduces visibility and contributes to the climate crisis. Air pollution impacts historically marginalized communities, and the letter is part of Campbell’s office’s Clean Air Initiative, which is focused on helping those communities with air pollution.
“Exposure to particulate matter pollution poses serious health risks especially for vulnerable communities across the Commonwealth,” Campbell said in a press release. “Together with my colleagues from across the country, we are calling on EPA to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, so we can ensure our residents are breathing cleaner and healthier air, and are protected from the serious health conditions associated with exposure to this dangerous pollutant.”
According to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office, in 2019 Massachusetts particulate matter pollution was responsible for approximately 2,780 adult deaths, 200 low-weight births, and more than 15,000 cases of asthma.
The Clean Air Act, which was initially put into place in 1970 by President Richard Nixon, requires the EPA to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards for several pollutants, including particulate matter, at a level that protects public health and welfare. Once the NAAQS are set, states are tasked with implementing those standards.
In the new letter sent by the coalition, it urges the EPA to take action to adopt strict standards for particulate matter pollution to protect human health in all communities, including sensitive populations and communities historically suffering disproportionately from severe particulate matter exposure.
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