Air Quality Monitoring | Water Quality Monitoring

Administrator Jackson Announces $2 Million in Brownfields Job Training Funds to Clean up Our Communities

Release date: 04/10/2010

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – Today in New Orleans, La., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced that EPA is awarding more than $2 million in job training grants for environmental cleanups in communities across the country. The agency’s Brownfields Job Training Program helps train people for jobs in the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills, closed smelters, and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties. These investments target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed.

“By recruiting, training and employing local residents to clean up the community, we get the best of both worlds: new jobs and a cleaner community,” said EPA Administrator Jackson. “Transforming abandoned and contaminated sites sets the stage for bustling business centers, new parks and other developments. It shows that the right thing to do for the environment is the right thing to do for the economy.”

Twelve governmental entities and non-profit organizations in 10 states are receiving up to $200,000 each to train people in the cleanup of these abandoned and possibly polluted properties, while also providing training in other environmental skills, such as green building design, energy efficiency, weatherization, solar installation, green construction, and native plant revegetation. In New Orleans, Administrator Jackson presented the award to Limitless Vistas, Inc., a training program that teaches inner-city youth job skills in environmental assessment and improvement, as well as the value of community service. Graduates are placed in environmental work-related jobs and their success is tracked for one year. Cleaning up our communities is one of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities, leading not only to health and environmental benefits but also economic development.

The brownfields job training grants will help recruit, train, and employ residents living near brownfields sites in California, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Washington.

Since 1998, EPA has awarded more than $33 million in brownfields job training funds. The program prepares workers for employment in the new green economy, and ensures that the economic benefits derived from brownfields redevelopment remain in the affected communities. As of February 2010, more than 5,300 individuals have been trained through the Brownfields Job Training Grant Program, and 3,400 have been placed in full-time employment in the environmental field with an average starting hourly wage of $14.65.

In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed. The brownfields law expanded the definition of what is considered a brownfield, so communities may now focus on mine-scarred lands, sites contaminated by petroleum, or sites contaminated as a result of the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs (e.g. meth labs). EPA’s Brownfields Program encourages redevelopment of America’s estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites.

As part of Administrator Jackson’s commitment to this program, the 2011 proposed budget includes an increase of $215 million for brownfields with increases for planning, cleanup, job training and redevelopment.

More information on brownfields job training grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

More information on EPA’s Brownfields Program: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

Brownfields success stories: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm

Source:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/eb5a92beba8e2fe2852577000073169d!OpenDocument

Release date: 06/21/2010

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today sent a letter to Congress in support of reinstating the lapsed Superfund “polluter pays” taxes. Superfund is the federal government’s program that investigates and cleans up the nation’s most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. If reinstated, the Superfund provision would provide a stable, dedicated source of revenue for the program and increase the pace of Superfund cleanup. It would also ensure that parties who benefit from the manufacture or sale of substances that commonly cause environmental problems at hazardous waste sites, and not taxpayers, help bear the cost of cleanup when responsible parties cannot be identified.

“Since the beginning of this administration we have made it clear that we support the reinstatement of the polluter pays system for the Superfund program,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Our taxes should be paying for teachers, police officers and infrastructure that is essential for sustainable growth — not footing the bill for polluters. Today, we are formalizing our call to Congress to pass this important legislation and ensure responsible steps to keep our communities clean. In the meantime, EPA is taking action to better manage the Superfund program to increase cleanups and enhance transparency, accountability, and community input in agency decision-making.”

The Superfund taxes expired on December 31, 1995. Since the expiration of the taxes, Superfund program funding has been largely financed from General Revenue transfers to the Superfund Trust Fund, thus burdening the taxpayer with the costs of cleaning up abandoned hazardous waste sites. The administration is proposing to reinstate the taxes as they were last in effect on crude oil, imported petroleum products, hazardous chemicals, and imported substances that use hazardous chemicals as a feedstock, and on corporate modified alternative minimum taxable income. Under the administration’s proposal, the excise taxes and corporate environmental taxes would be reinstated for a period of 10 years beginning in January 2011.

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

More information on the Superfund program: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/

Source:http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/6e61eb7ab20b163c8525774900592657!OpenDocument

Pine Environmental Services, Inc. (Pine) continues to support consultants and hazardous waste responders in the Gulf clean-up effort.  With 16 offices located in the United States and Canada, Pine has equipment and supplies at the ready for responders working in the gulf.  A wide variety of response contractors, workers, and scientists within the Gulf Region and around the U.S. are being called to action and Pine has been and will be there to support their needs.

Specifically, Pine is supplying air monitoring instruments that are designed for personal monitoring, such as PIDs with multi-gas detection capability, and area monitoring with wireless monitoring capability for long term monitoring and real time data reporting.  In addition to the air monitoring instruments, Pine supplies water quality monitoring instruments to measure  the effects the release is having on important water quality parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, oxygen reduction potential and others. 

Additionally, we are providing responders with the PPE that they need to continue performing their important clean up efforts.  We supply Tyvek and Tychem as well as respirators, gloves, and boots.  We stock oil absorbant materials such as oil sorbent booms, pads, and sweeps.  Please contact Pine at any one of our locations to discuss how we may be able to support your companies efforts in the Gulf.

EPA Proposes Adding More Chemicals to Toxics Release Inventory List First program chemical expansion in more than a decade

Release date: 04/06/2010

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to add 16 chemicals to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) list of reportable chemicals, the first expansion of the program in more than a decade. Established as part of the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), TRI is a publicly available EPA database that contains information on toxic chemical releases and waste management activities reported annually by certain industries as well as federal facilities. The proposal is part of Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s ongoing efforts to provide communities with more complete information on chemicals.

EPA has concluded, based on a review of available studies, that these chemicals could cause cancer in people. The purpose of the proposed addition to TRI reporting requirements is to inform the public about chemical releases in their communities and to provide the government with information for research and potential development of regulations.

Four of the chemicals are being proposed for addition to TRI under the polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) category. The PACs category includes chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (PBT) and are likely to remain in the environment for a very long time. These chemicals are not readily destroyed and may build up or accumulate in body tissue.

The TRI, established as part of the EPCRA of 1986, contains information on nearly 650 chemicals and chemical groups from about 22,000 industrial facilities in the U.S. Congress enacted EPCRA to provide the public with additional information on toxic chemicals in their communities.

EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days after it appears in the Federal Register.

For a list of the 16 chemicals: http://www.epa.gov/tri/lawsandregs/ntp_chemicals/index.html

More information on TRI: http://www.epa.gov/tri

Source:  http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/f6a45e8e44dbef13852576fd005f7555!OpenDocument

Recovery Act’s One Year Anniversary: Workers in Pacific Northwest Benefit from Investment in Environmental Protection

Release date: 02/19/2010

(Seattle, Wash. – Feb. 17, 2010) One year into the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Pacific Northwest environmental projects are moving ahead, creating jobs and boosting the economy. Projects funded by EPA totaling $318 million in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington are yielding cleaner air, water and land, and new green jobs.

Two examples of this success can be found in Tacoma, Wash. and Woodburn, Ore.

City of Tacoma Brownfields Job Training Program. EPA selected the City of Tacoma to receive $500,000 in Recovery Act grant funding to provide job training to assess and clean up contaminated sites known as “brownfields.” Brownfields workers will be able to turn rundown eyesores into revitalized, productive properties. The city is training 200 participants, with a goal of placing 150 graduates in environmental jobs. They will track graduates’ progress for one year. The training program consists of eight, 98-hour or 212-hour cycles on four tracks.

City of Woodburn Safe Water Expansion. This project, using $2.8 million in Recovery Act funds, will provide safe drinking water to residents of three modular home communities that currently receive water that exceeds EPA established safe threshold for arsenic. The safe drinking water will be provided by extending City of Woodburn water supply to these communities.

“It’s been a year since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Clearly, we are seeing positive results in green jobs,” said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Michelle Pirzadeh. “Many projects are already changing the employment figures, and as construction season begins we expect to see even more people back on job sites that will have a lasting environmental impact.”

On Feb. 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providing more than $7 billion nationwide for environmental projects.

State by state allocations of Recovery Act Funds:

Alaska:

• Clean Water Projects: $23.7 million

• Drinking Water Projects: $19.5 million

• Clean Diesel Projects: $1.73 million

• Leaking Underground Storage Tank Projects: $1 million

• Brownfields Projects: $57,000

• TOTAL: $46 MILLION

Idaho:

• Clean Water Projects: $19.4 million

• Drinking Water Projects: $19.5 million

• Superfund Projects: $16.8 million

• Clean Diesel Projects: $1.73 million

• Leaking Underground Storage Tank Projects: $1.3 million

• Brownfields Projects: $1.15 million

• TOTAL: $59.9 MILLION

Oregon:

• Clean Water Projects: $44.7 million

• Drinking Water Projects: $28.5 million

• Clean Diesel Projects: $4.3 million

• Leaking Underground Storage Tank Projects: $2.7 million

• Brownfields Projects: $657,000

• TOTAL: $80.9 MILLION

Washington:

• Clean Water Projects: $68.8 million

• Drinking Water Projects: $41.8 million

• Superfund Projects: $7.5 million

• Clean Diesel Projects: $5.8 million

• Leaking Underground Storage Tank Projects: $3.4 million

• Brownfields Projects: $3.5 million

• TOTAL: $131 MILLION

When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he directed that it be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can visit http://www.recovery.govto see how every dollar is being invested.

Contact Information: Jeff Philip, (206) 553-1465, philip.jeff@epa.gov

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/7049767461945269852576cf006033b4!OpenDocument

EPA, NREL Partner to Develop Renewable Energy on Potentially Contaminated Sites.   Clean energy project aims to benefit local economies and create jobs

Release date: 02/23/2010

Contact Information: Latisha Petteway, petteway.latisha@epa.gov, 202-564-3191, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the feasibility of developing renewable energy production on Superfund, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites. Superfund sites are the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites identified by EPA for cleanup due to the risk they pose to human health or the environment. Brownfields are properties at which expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence of contaminants. EPA is investing more than $650,000 for the project that pairs EPA’s expertise on contaminated sites with the renewable energy expertise of NREL. The project is part of the RE-Powering America’s Land initiative, which aims to decrease the amount of green space used for development, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide health and economic benefits to local communities, including job creation.

The project will analyze the potential development of wind, solar, or small hydro development at 12 sites. The analysis will include determining the best renewable energy technology for the site, the optimal location for placement of the renewable energy technology on the site, potential energy generating capacity, the return on the investment, and the economic feasibility of the renewable energy projects. The 12 sites are located in Calif., Fla., Kan., Mass., Mich., Minn., Pa., Puerto Rico, R.I., W.Va., and Wis.

Some of the sites under consideration for renewable energy projects have completed cleanup activities, while others may be in various stages of assessment or cleanup. Renewable energy projects on these sites will be designed to accommodate the site conditions.

In September 2008, EPA launched the RE-Powering America’s Land initiative to promote the developing of renewable energy on potentially contaminated land and mining sites. EPA partnered with NREL to do an initial screening to determine sites that may be used for renewable energy projects.

More information on the RE-Powering America’s Land initiative: http://www.epa.gov/renewableenergyland/

More information on NREL: http://www.nrel.gov/

Source: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/b35339fd1c4175b9852576d30058b278!OpenDocument

North Carolina Authorized to Implement the Lead Renovation Program

Release date: 01/27/2010

Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov

 (ATLANTA – January 27, 2010) On January 21, 2010, the state of North Carolina received authorization to administer and enforce EPA’s Lead Renovation Program. The authorization became effective upon EPA’s receipt of the state’s certified Renovation Authorization Application which was submitted by Governor Bev Purdue. Chief Deputy Attorney General Grayson G. Kelley has certified that the North Carolina Program, which will be administered by the Division of Public Health, is at least as protective as EPA’s and provides adequate enforcement.

“EPA appreciates North Carolina’s initiative to prevent further lead poisoning by ensuring that work that disturbs paint is done in a lead-safe manner,” said Acting Regional Administrator Stan Meiburg. “Renovators and rental property owners play a major role part in protecting children from lead-based paint hazards in the home.”

The RRP program mandates that contractors, property managers and others working for compensation, in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978, must be trained and use lead-safe work practices. They are also required to provide the lead pamphlet “Renovate Right; Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers and Schools” to owners and occupants before starting renovation work.

Lead contaminated dust is the most significant source of lead exposure for children. Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint, which can be harmful to adults and children. Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978. Lead exposure can cause reduced IQ, learning disabilities, development delays and behavioral problems in young children.

You can learn more about protecting your family from lead-based paint and EPA’s lead program at http://www.epa.gov/lead or by contacting the National Lead Information Center at 800-424-LEAD (5323).

For more information about North Carolina’s new program, including information on applying for certification or locating training, contact the North Carolina Lead Program at 919 707-5950 or visit the state Web site at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/lead.html.

Source:http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/3122e16782204737852576b8006ef100!OpenDocument

Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans Agrees to Reinstate Program to Improve Sewage System Damaged by Hurricane Katrina

Release date: 01/27/2010 from the EPA Newsroom

Contact Information: DOJ at 202-514-2007, Dave Bary at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov

(WASHINGTON – January 27, 2010) The Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans has agreed to reinstate its comprehensive program – stalled for several years in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina – to make extensive improvements to reduce or eliminate sewage overflows into the Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain and its storm drainage canal system, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today.

According to a Clean Water Act settlement filed today that modifies a 1998-agreement, the Sewerage & Water Board, which operates the publicly owned treatment works that serves the citizens of New Orleans, has agreed to continue to repair its antiquated sewage collection system. Prior to 1998, the system had been overwhelmed causing overflows of raw sewage into waterways and streets of New Orleans. Those efforts were put on hold for several years due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“For many years, until Hurricane Katrina, the Sewerage & Water Board was making great strides in repairing its outdated collection system in compliance with the 1998 agreement,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “We are pleased that, despite the devastating effects of the hurricane, the board has agreed to continue its aggressive remediation program in order to protect the public health and make the waterways safe for the people of New Orleans.”

“We have agreed on an aggressive plan which will greatly help New Orleans’ system deliver better service to residents while it protects the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Al Armendariz. “Protecting America’s waters is a priority at EPA. We are pleased the Sewage & Water Board shares our strong commitment to clean water.”

As part of its ongoing remediation program, estimated to cost more than $400 million from its inception in 1998, the board has agreed to repair all of its 62 pump stations damaged by the hurricane, as well as any other hurricane damage in the portions of the collection system served by those pump stations. By no later than July 2015, the board will complete additional studies required by EPA and make all necessary repairs and upgrades to its collection system, including measures designed to provide dependable electrical services at its treatment plant in the event of a future catastrophic event.

The board will also design and implement a new preventive maintenance plan to inspect and clean its sewer lines and pump stations to prevent sewage overflows, and will continue efforts under its sewage overflow action plan designed to minimize the impact of such overflows on the environment.

In addition, now that the system serves only about 60 percent of people that it served before Katrina hit, the board has agreed to report each year on population changes and to evaluate any need for increased capacity for its pump stations, force mains and treatment plant.

The 1998 agreement resolved a 1993 lawsuit brought by the United States alleging violations of the Clean Water Act including effluent overflows at the East Bank treatment plant and unauthorized discharges from the East Bank Collection System. A coalition of citizens groups under the direction of the Tulane Law Clinic has joined the government in the action and is part of the modified settlement. The state of Louisiana also has participated in this settlement.

The modified consent decree, lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, is subject to 30-day public comment period and approval by the court. A copy of the consent decree is available on the Justice Department web site at http://wwww.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html .

Source:http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/d0cf6618525a9efb85257359003fb69d/6e81af7ceb5c4516852576b800693fdd!OpenDocument

On May 7, 2009, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine signed into law the Site Remediation Reform Act (SRRA) (referred herein as the “Law”) that will overhaul the way investigations and cleanups are done in New Jersey. The Governor concurrently signed Executive Order #140 that clarifies certain provisions to SRRA. Order #140 can be found at http://www.state.nj.us/infobank/circular/eojsc140.htm

The Law addresses the overburdened New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP)’s current staff, budget constraints, and case backlog by creating a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) program. The LSRPs are environmental consultants with specified education and experience who will oversee investigations and remediation throughout sites in New Jersey. The legislation, sponsored by Senator Bob Smith, was passed by the New Jersey Senate on March 16, 2009.

The Law identifies who may become LSRPs, establishes their qualifications, licensing procedures, and a code of conduct and defines their role in the remediation process. In addition, the Law establishes a separate Site Remediation Professional Licensing Board (Board), tasked with creating standards for education, training, and experience that will be required of any person who applies for a license. The Board will conduct examinations to certify that an applicant possesses sufficient knowledge of the state regulations, standards and requirements applicable to site remediation and that the applicant is qualified to obtain either a license or a license renewal.

The Law calls for rules and regulations to be adopted no later than 18 months after enactment to implement the LSRP program. However, since it will take some time for this Law to be fully developed and implemented the Law calls for an interim licensing program to be established within 90 days of enactment.

Within 180 days of the effective date of the Law, any submissions concerning the remediation of a contaminated site must be signed and certified by both the person responsible for conducting the remediation and the LSRP. The LSRP’s certification will state that the work was performed, that the LSRP managed, supervised or performed the work, and that the work and submission conform to the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation (N.J.A.C. 7:26E 1 et seq.). Remediation projects that are on-going or that begin within 180 days of enactment of the Law are not required to be conducted by an LSRP. However, all remediation projects will need to be conducted by an LSRP after the third anniversary of enactment of the Law.

Based on these regulatory changes there may be potential relationship changes between site owners and their selected environmental consultant. Whether there is a new remediation case requiring an LSRP under SRRA from the start or if there is a need to opt into the program prior to the end of the three-year phase-in period, the selection of an LSRP for site specific remediation projects will require careful consideration.

Additional information on the NJDEP LSRP program can be found here http://www.state.nj.us/dep/srp/srra/

Click Here for a list of NJDEP contacts.

The following is a list of other various state certification programs similar to the LSRP. This list is for reference only. Each state may require special certifications for corrective action or other related activities. Please contact local and state environmental program representatives regarding regulatory requirements prior to performing environmental investigation/ remediation related activities.

• Connecticut Licensed Environmental Professionals (LEP) Program (Administered by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection– visit their web site at http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2715&q=324978&depNav_GID=1626)

• Ohio Voluntary Action Program (VAP) for Certified Professionals (Administered by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency – visit their web site at http://www.epa.state.oh.us/)

• Oklahoma Remediation Consultants Program (Administered by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, Petroleum Storage Tank Division– visit their web site at http://www.occ.state.ok.us/)

• Massachusetts Licensed Site Professionals (LSP) Program (Administered by the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Professionals– visit their web site at http://www.mass.gov/lsp/)

• Texas Corrective Action Project Managers (CAPM) Program (Administered by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality – visit their web site at http://www.mass.gov/lsp/)

• West Virginia Licensed Remediation Specialist Program (Administered by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection Office of Environmental Remediation – visit their web site at http://www.wvdep.org/item.cfm?ssid=18&ss1id=56)

EPA Proposes to Expand the Lead Monitoring Network /Proposed changes would help determine if areas meet air quality standards for airborne lead

WASHINGTON – December 23, 2009 (USEPA) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to expand the lead air quality monitoring network to ensure that the most vulnerable Americans are protected from exposure to lead. Even at low levels, exposure to lead can impair a child’s IQ, learning capabilities, memory and behavior.

EPA is proposing to require air quality monitoring around sources that emit a half ton or more of lead a year, lowering the current threshold from one ton a year to include more sources. The proposal also modifies the current requirement for monitoring in larger urban areas. Monitors would be placed at each of the multi-pollutant monitoring stations being established in urban and rural areas.

These changes would allow monitoring at the largest sources of lead emissions and would more accurately track long-term trends and assess typical lead levels in communities throughout the country.

This proposal is in response to a petition for reconsideration requesting EPA to reevaluate the air monitoring requirements finalized in 2008 along with the tightened national air quality standards for lead.

EPA is not reconsidering, nor is it delaying the implementation of, the 2008 lead standards. States will still need to deploy lead monitors around sources emitting at least one ton of lead a year by January 1, 2010.

Lead emitted into the air can be inhaled or can be ingested after it settles. Ingestion is the main route of human exposure. Children are the most susceptible because they are more likely to ingest lead, and their bodies are developing rapidly. There is no known safe level of lead in the body.

EPA will accept comments on the proposal for 45 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

To view the article and other lead related information on the EPA’s website – Click Here

Current Lead Air Quality Standards

On October 15, 2008, for the first time in 30 years, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) strengthened the nation’s air quality standards for lead in the effort to improve public health protection, especially for children who are particularly vulnerable to lead poisoning.

Lead is a pollutant that can cause organ, brain and nerve damage, lower intelligence, suppression of the immune system, high blood pressure and increased risk of heart disease. The major sources of lead emissions have been motor vehicles and industrial sources such as lead smelters, waste incinerators, utilities, and lead-acid battery manufacturers.

The standards reduced the allowable lead level by a magnitude of 10, down to 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter (µg/m3) of air. The previous standards, set in 1978, allowed up to 1.5 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air.

Source: http://epa.gov/air/lead/

To learn more about other National Ambient Air Quality Standards Click Here