US EPA says emissions of fine particulates reach new low in 2003

Washington (Platts)--14Dec2004

US levels of particle pollution, a mix of solid particles and liquid droplets,
are continuing to decline and emissions of fine particles, known as PM 2.5,
were the lowest in 2003 since nationwide monitoring began in 1999, the US
Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday. The agency's report, which
examines recent and long-term trends in air quality and emissions, said that
since 1999, monitored concentrations of PM 2.5 have decreased 10% and are
about 30% below what EPA estimates they were 25 years ago. Concentrations of
PM 10 in 2003, the report said, were the second lowest since monitoring began
in 1999 and have fallen 7% since 1999 and 31% since 1988. Monitored levels of
both particles decreased most in areas having the highest concentrations, the
agency said. EPA said about one-third of the reduction in PM 2.5 emissions in
the eastern US can be attributed to lower sulfate emissions, while a large
portion of the remaining improvement is due to reductions in carbon-containing
particles, particularly in the industrial Midwest and Southeast. The agency
attributed part of the reduction in sulfates to the 33% reduction in power
plants' sulfur dioxide emissions from 1990 to 2003. The SO2 reduction, which
EPA said was largely the result of its Acid Rain program, "yielded
significant" cuts in sulfate concentrations, "reducing acid deposition and
improving visibility." EPA said the particles come in many sizes and shapes
and can be made up of hundreds of different chemicals. PM 2.5, or fine
particles, refers to particles less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers--about
1/30th the size of the average human hair. These particles can penetrate into
the deeper regions of the body's respiratory system. Fine particle exposure,
which EPA has identified as one of its "most pressing" air-quality problems,
has been associated with a number of serious health problems, ranging from the
aggravation of asthma and the development of chronic bronchitis to heart
arrhythmias, heart attacks and even premature death.

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