Biden Administration Strengthens Health Standard for Soot Pollution

"This will help save lives today and improve the health of generations to come. Soot puts tens of millions of Americans at risk, disproportionately harming low-income communities and people of color. It's especially dangerous to children, the elderly and people coping with compromised health. 

"The EPA is putting public health first by requiring polluters to cut soot from the air we all breathe."…

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/biden-administration-strengthens-health-standard-for-soot-pollution

Biden is toughening limits on deadly soot. Industry is fighting back. - The Washington Post

"We've heard the same Chicken Little 'the sky is falling' argument from industry every time EPA has proposed an update to the PM standard," he said. "And industry has a perfect record on their projections: They've been wrong every single time about what the impact would be on economic growth and development."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/01/19/soot-pollution-rule-biden-epa/

The EPA declines to reduce pollutants linked to coronavirus deaths | TheHill

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reportedly declined to implement tighter constraints on air pollution standards for fine particulate matter or hazardous particles that linger in the air and can have adverse health effects when inhaled. ProPublica and the Times-Picayune report that EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler is expected to double down on this decision against the backdrop of continued COVID-19 transmission, which primarily attacks the body’s respiratory system. The particulate matter in question is soot, which is emitted from burning wood and coal, oil refining and vehicle engines. The current EPA annual standards limit particulate matter to 12 micrograms per meter, down from a previous 15.....
https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/522128-the-epa-declines-to-reduce-pollutants-linked-to