EPA Staff Report Calls for Stronger Lead Standards

The Clean Air Act calls on the EPA to review and assess lead standards and their efficacy in protecting air quality in the US. On Thursday, the EPA announced that the latest set of recommendations calls for the EPA to strengthen airborne lead standards to ensure the safety and health of those who live in areas with dirty skies.

The "Final Staff Paper" released calls on the EPA administration to set the limits for lead emissions much lower than they currently are. Right now, the standard is set at 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter, and the report calls for that limit to be lowered considerably to a range of 0.2 to 0.05 micrograms per cubic meter. The paper also calls for the EPA to have only one lead standard, rather than the two standards that exist now. Furthermore, the paper also calls for the EPA to stop consideration of dropping lead from the list of pollutants it considers when assessing air quality.

The results and recommendations of the Final Staff Paper will not have any tangible effects on the current lead standards until at least next September. The lag time allows the EPA to further study the proposals and allow for a public comment period to address the new proposed limits.

The Final Staff Paper figured its recommendations on evidence of health concerns that arise from lead. The Paper points out that new studies and evidence shows that adverse affects to children are shown to be occurring at lower levels of lead in the blood system than what was determined in 1978 when the standards were originally set. The Paper also used evidence that lead exposure causes health problems for adults in determining the newly recommended limits.

Airborne lead does not only pose a danger through breathing, but also a danger of the lead particles settling in the environment as dust. So far, studies have not been able to determine if there is a "safe" limit of lead exposure for children. The ill effects of lead in children are most profound as lead affects development of the nervous system and contributes to a loss of IQ.

Lead is one of six "critera" pollutants the EPA considers in assessing air quality standards. The other pollutants are ozone, carbon monoxide, fine particulates, and nitrogen and sulfur oxides. As more and more evidence of health dangers from these pollutants come to light, the EPA is required to update and amend standards.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency