Earthjustice : Adopt The Sky -- Dirty Ozone Standards Don't Protect Public Health

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About Jared Saylor

Jared partners with community groups across the country to help tell their stories to the media of fighting air and water pollution and restoring important waters and natural resources in Florida. Jared wrote for Inside California EPA and was a writer for a number of publications including the San Jose Mercury News, Time Magazine, Wired News and MTV. Jared has a Master's Degree in Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.

Adopt The Sky -- Dirty Ozone Standards Don't Protect Public Health

Last week, the EPA ignored recommendations of its own scientific advisors and the health community, by revising its standards for ozone, the main component of smog. Under the new standards, ozone levels could be as high as 75 parts per billion (ppb)—which is lower than the current standard of 84ppb—however, health experts had recommended that a range of 60-70ppb is a more protective air quality level.

Ozone is a sever lung irritant that is linked to asthma, chest pains, increased risk of infection, significant decreases in lung function, increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits, and even premature deaths. The EPA should be listening to the science, not the politics, and protect our air from smog pollution.

With that in mind, we have launched a new website, www.adoptthesky.org and on there you can sign a petition to tell the EPA that we need better smog standards. The website is very interactive and you can learn not only about the clean air cause, but about your state’s asthma population and read what others are saying about the new proposal. You can even post your own comments and adopt a piece of the sky…which is completely free! Let your voice be heard by visiting www.adoptthesky.org.

Published Tuesday, July 03, 2007 11:34 AM by Jared Saylor

Filed under: Clean Air Act, EPA, Smog, Ozone

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