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| 33 Counties Fail New EPA Standard: Air pollution is worse than state thought |
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by John C. Kuehner Plain Dealer, 6/30/2004 The federal government says that tiny airborne particles pose a far greater air pollution problem than Ohio environmental officials suspected. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that 33 of Ohio's 88 counties, including all of Greater Cleveland, fail to meet new federal standards for microscopic air pollutants. In February, the Ohio EPA submitted a list with 25 counties it said violated the federal standards. But reviewing the data, the federal EPA proposed adding eight more, including Geauga and Ashtabula counties. In all, the federal government said Tuesday that 243 counties in 21 states exceeded the national standard. States have three months to contest the designations. The federal government will issue a final list in November. “We are not surprised by the number,” Ohio EPA spokeswoman Heidi Griesmer said. “Most of the counties the federal government added are ones that have power plants in them or are part of metropolitan areas.” Ohio could impose tighter controls on coal-burning power plants and diesel-powered vehicles as it works to meet the federal deadline, which could come as soon as 2010. But many of the air pollution controls likely will go hand-in-hand with new steps the state takes to control ground-level ozone, because the tiny particles in the air share many of the same sources as ozone, Griesmer said. These particles, no more than one-30th the width of a human hair, penetrate deep into the lungs and lead to a host of health problems, from aggravating heart and lung disease to premature death. The U.S. EPA said in a news conference Tuesday it considered nine factors in creating its list of counties. Those factors included emissions and air quality in areas adjacent to counties with high levels of pollutants, as well as traffic, commuting and weather patterns. |