How the EPA Can Save Lives by Cleaning up Fine Particle Air Pollution Acknowledgements

Sick of Soot How tHe ePA cAn SAve liveS by cleAning uP fine particle Air Pollution AcknowledgementS sick of soot was prepared by the american lung association is american lung association, the leading organization working clean air task force and to save lives by improving lung earthjustice. it summarizes health and preventing lung disease the findings of Health Benefits through education, advocacy of Alternative PM2.5 Standards, and research. a technical report that was prepared for the american lung clean air task force is a association, clean air task nonprofit organization dedicated force and earthjustice by to reducing atmospheric pollution donald mccubbin, ph.d. through research, advocacy and Dr. Mccubbin has analyzed the private sector collaboration. health benefits of the clean Air Act, major regulations such as the earthjustice is a nonprofit Heavy-Duty Diesel rule and the public interest law firm dedicated clean Air interstate rule, and the to protecting the magnificent impacts of power plants, motor places, natural resources and vehicles and other pollution wildlife of this earth, and to sources. He received the ePA’s defending the right of all people level 1 Science and technological to a healthy environment. Achievement Award for work on the health benefits of alternative All photos by chris jordan/ ozone standards and he received earthjustice unless otherwise Abt Associates’ Daniel bell Award noted. for the development of the environmental benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (benMAP). john graham, ph.d., an atmospheric scientist at clean air task force, served as project manager in the production of Health Benefits of Alternative PM2.5 Standards. research for Health Benefits of Alternative PM2.5 Standards was made possible by the generous support of the energy foundation. ii SickofSoot introduction In April 2011, staff scientists at the EPA made a series of recommendations to Administrator he U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson. These recommendations were (EPA) must soon update national health based on a review of current research on the tstandards for fine particulate matter air pol- health effects of PM2.5, conducted by the EPA lution (PM2.5), commonly referred to as soot—a ma- National Center for Environmental Assessment jor cause of premature death and a widespread threat and vetted by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory to those who suffer from lung and heart disease. The Committee (CASAC), an independent body that national health standards are critical tools that drive offers technical advice to the EPA on ambient the cleanup of soot pollution across the country. air quality standards. Health Benefits of Alterna- 1 According to the EPA, fine particle pollution: tive PM2.5 Standards, a new analysis prepared ➤ Causes early death (from both short- and for the American Lung Association, Clean Air long-term exposure); Task Force and Earthjustice, examines these and other options and estimates the life- and cost- ➤ Causes cardiovascular harm (e.g., heart saving potential for each scenario of reduced attacks, stroke, heart disease, congestive soot pollution. heart failure); Based on the analysis, the options cur- ➤ Likely causes respiratory harm (e.g., rently under consideration at the EPA are worsened asthma, worsened COPD, not strong enough to protect public health inflammation); with an adequate margin of safety. These ➤ May cause cancer; and organizations recommend that the EPA ➤ May cause developmental and reproductive adopt a health standard at the strongest end harm. of the range of options considered by the analysis—an annual standard of 11 micro- The EPA will choose an updated national grams per cubic meter (µg/m3) and a daily health standard from a range of possible options. standard of 25 µg/m3. SickofSoot 1 Meeting this standard could prevent as findings and many as 35,700 premature deaths every year, recommendAtion in addition to delivering major reductions in harm to people with heart and respiratory If the EPA strengthens the current standard of 3 3 disease. Overall, the nation could benefit 15 µg/m annually and a daily limit of 35 µg/m to by as much as $281 billion every year from the recommendation of this report—an annual limit of 11 µg/m3 and a daily limit of 25 µg/m3—the reduced costs associated with premature 2 death and disease. analysis predicts that, every year, Americans will The Clean Air Act requires the EPA to follow be spared from as many as: science and protect public health. To comply ➤ 35,700 premature deaths; with the law, it should adopt the PM2.5 health ➤ 2,350 heart attacks; standard recommended by this report. ➤ 23,290 visits to the hospital and emergency room; ➤ 29,800 cases of acute bronchitis; Meeting the health standard ➤ 1.4 million cases of aggravated asthma; and ➤ 2.7 million days of missed work or school recommended by this report due to air pollution-caused ailments. could prevent as many as These health benefits—which are esti- 35,700 premature deaths mates based on improvements relative to cur- every year. rent air quality conditions—far outweigh the benefits from any standard the EPA is currently considering. figure 1. recommenDeD PM2.5 HeAltH StAndarD PreventS More Premature DeAths AnnuAlly figure 1. This graph compares the premature deaths avoided due to the PM2.5 health standard recommended by 40,000 this report (in blue) 35,700 against four standards that are currently under consideration 30,000 27,300 at the EPA. In each Avoided case, the estimated s th number of avoided A 20,000 e premature deaths was d 15,000 calculated using an 13,500 exposure-response ture function from an 10,000 A 8,190 epidemiological study 3 Recommended by Laden et al. (2006). Prem 0 StAndArd (in µg/m3) Annual: 11 Annual:11 Annual: 12 Annual: 13 Annual: 13 daily: 25 daily: 35 daily: 35 daily: 30 daily: 35 2 SickofSoot Overall, the number of premature deaths that could be avoided every year from the most protective standard is equivalent to the size of a Overall, the nation will sold-out crowd at Fenway Park, Boston’s historic baseball stadium. The same epidemiological benefit by as much as study used in Figures 1, 2 and 3 found that the $281 billion each year from current standard—15 µg/m3 (annual) and 35 µg/m3 (daily)—could prevent up to 5,240 reduced costs associated premature deaths every year. Strengthening the with premature death soot standard to 13 µ g/m3 (annual) and 35 µg/ m3 (daily), the weakest option that the EPA is and disease. considering, could prevent 2,950 additional premature deaths and be important progress. Yet, adopting the standard recommended by this report could prevent an additional 30,460 pre- The health benefits bring major financial mature deaths every year—more than 10 times benefits as well. Strengthening the annual PM2.5 the current number. To maximize the potential standard to 11 µg/m3 and the daily standard to of these important health protections to prevent 25 µg/m3 will lead to economic benefits for the premature death and illness, it is clear that the American public of $281 billion every year from EPA must set a strong soot standard of 11 µg/m3 reduced costs associated with premature death (annual) and 25 µg/m3 (daily). and disease. figure 2. recommenDeD PM2.5 HeAltH StAndarD ProviDeS greAter econoMic benefitS AnnuAlly figure 2. This graph compares the economic benefits due to the PM2.5 health $281 standard recommended 300 billion by this report (in blue) against four 250 $214 additional standards billion that are currently $) under consideration 200 at the EPA. In each of s case, the estimated 150 $118 $106 economic benefits billion from an updated PM2.5 billion health standard were billion 100 $64.4 calculated using an (in billion exposure-response function from an 50 Recommended epidemiological study by Laden et al. (2006).4 0 StAndArd (in µg/m3) Annual: 11 Annual:11 Annual: 12 Annual: 13 Annual: 13 daily: 25 daily: 35 daily: 35 daily: 30 daily: 35 SickofSoot 3 While health benefits will be distributed ➤ It uses more current data. The air quality across the nation, 10 major metropolitan areas monitoring data used in this report comes stand to benefit significantly. from 2007–2009, whereas the EPA risk To estimate these health and economic assessment, which was completed in 2010, benefits, recent air quality data from the EPA’s relied on older data from 2005–2007. The monitoring network were incorporated into more current data used in this report the same computer modeling program that are closer to today’s actual air quality the agency uses in its own regulatory impact conditions. Air quality has improved analyses. This analysis, however, goes beyond considerably in recent years due to a number the findings published in the EPA’s Quantitative of factors, including cleaner cars entering Health Risk Assessment for Particulate Matter 6 in the fleet and the economic downturn. several important respects: Consequently, it should be easier for the nation to meet the health standard ➤ It is national in scope. The EPA’s analysis recommended by this report because current only focuses on 15 urban areas in the conditions are in fact closer to that standard continental U.S. than the EPA’s older modeling has shown. ➤ It examines a wider range of daily and annual health standard combinations than the EPA has considered. figure 3. MetroPolitAn Areas that will benefit MoSt froM The recommenDeD PM2.5 StAndarD in Premature DeAths AvoiDeD metroPolitAn Avoided PremAture rAnk AreA deAthS, annuAlly 1 los Angeles-long beach-Santa Ana, cA 4,230 2 new york-newark-edison, ny-nJ-PA 3,290 3 chicago-naperville-Joliet, il-in-wi 2,240 figure 3.

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