Submit a public comment today to EPA Administrator Regan to make stronger, science-based standards for particulate matter.
Air pollution is so bad in St Bernard Parish, Louisiana that the air quality fails to reach the one-hour health standard for Sulfur Dioxide. The air in St Bernard Parish is non-attainment for SO2.
Additionally, several areas of St Bernard Parish, Louisiana have high levels of particulate matter in the air and are ranked in the highest 95% - 99% National Percentile for NATA diesel PM, according to EPA's EJ Tool Map.
There are a serious health concerns regarding the combination of high particulate matter concentrations with the high sulfur dioxide emissions. According to the University of Massachusetts Political Economy Research Institute: Chalmette Elementary, a school with 71% minority enrollment in St Bernard Parish, is in the 3rd percentile for air quality and Martin Luther King Junior Charter School for Science and Technology for Grades K - 12, a school with 100% minority enrollment in the Lower 9th Ward of Orleans Parish, is in the 10th percentile for air quality. It's difficult to learn, develop, and grow in such a degraded environment. Our children deserve better.
There are proven health consequences from having sulfur dioxide and particulate matter commonly co-exist at such high levels in the ambient air. This type of mixed pollution -- high sulfur dioxide and high particulate matter - has long been linked to the development of neurodegenerative disorders and to increased morbidity from cardiopulmonary diseases. New studies show that co-exposure leads to neurodegeneration even at low doses. [1]
The current standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are outdated and insufficient. Setting tighter limits for particulate matter in line with the levels recommended by a scientific advisory committee earlier this year will protect millions of people, including vulnerable populations like children, the elderly, and people with asthma and other respiratory and heart conditions. Higher exposure to soot has also been associated with higher death rates from COVID-19 in recent years. As is often the case, these health burdens are disproportionately borne by communities of color and low income communities near heavily polluting facilities and high-traffic roadways.
Submit a public comment today to EPA Administrator Regan to make stronger, science-based standards for particulate matter. Submit your comments at the link and Sierra Club will deliver it to the EPA when the comment period opens this fall 2022.
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