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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| US toughens standards for ozone | US toughens standards for ozone |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States has tightened air quality standards in an effort to help improve public health. | |
| It is lowering the amount of smog-forming ozone permitted in the atmosphere for the first time in more than 10 years. | It is lowering the amount of smog-forming ozone permitted in the atmosphere for the first time in more than 10 years. |
| Health and environmental campaigners wanted more stringent limits but industry has lobbied against them. | Health and environmental campaigners wanted more stringent limits but industry has lobbied against them. |
| Industry leaders say complying with the new standards will prove expensive. | Industry leaders say complying with the new standards will prove expensive. |
| The new level is reduced from 80 parts per billion to 75 parts per billion. | The new level is reduced from 80 parts per billion to 75 parts per billion. |
| However, the EPA's clean air scientific advisory committee had unanimously recommended setting a standard no higher than 70 parts per billion. | |
| The committee had estimated that reducing smog to that level could prevent almost 4,000 premature deaths and about 7,000 hospital visits. | |
| "America's air is cleaner today than it was a generation ago," said EPA Administrator Stephen L Johnson. | |
| "By meeting the requirement of the Clean Air Act and strengthening the national standard for ozone, EPA is keeping our clean air progress moving forward." | |
| 'Political science' | |
| Mr Johnson said that while the standards "may be strict, we have a responsibility to overhaul and enhance the Clean Air Act to ensure it translates from paper promises into cleaner air". | |
| The BBC's Jonathan Beale says many scientists believe the new rules will not significantly reduce the dangers to public health caused by pollution. | |
| US-based campaigners Clean Air Watch say the reduction does not go far enough. | |
| "Unfortunately, real science appears to have been tainted by political science," said Clean Air Watch president Frank O'Donnell. | |
| "The Bush Administration is compromising public health to save industry money." |