Health Hotline Magazine | June 2025

Air PolLutIon Is GoInG to Get WorSe KNOW HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF By Lindsay Wilson

• Reconsideration of regu ations on the oil and gas industry Here is a glimpse of just some of the deregu ations that the agency is working on, as published on the EPA’s website: • Reconsideration of mercury and air toxin standards that target coal-fired power p ants • Reconsideration of particu ate matter ambient air quality standards • Reconsideration of multiple national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants The aRe so maNY mo , But yOu geT tHe PoInT.

I first wrote about the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air” report three years ago, and I’m sorry to say that not much has improved since then, and in fact, it appears to be getting worse. The atest report, released in 2024, found that 39 percent of Americans live in p aces with failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone and/or particu ate pollution. That is nearly 12 million more people breathing unhealthy air compared to the previous year. This, at a time when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been tasked to dismantle air quality protections.

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