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EPA initiates new review of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards

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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new review of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). EPA established the current standards at a level of 70 parts per billion in 2015 and retained them in 2020, after concluding that there was little new information to suggest the need for revision.

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Study suggests air pollution may be linked to heightened mouth cancer risk; PM2.5 and ozone

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High levels of air pollutants, especially fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and to a lesser extent, ozone, may be linked to a heightened risk of developing mouth cancer, suggests a study by a team of Taiwanese researchers. The number of new cases, and deaths from, mouth cancer is increasing in many parts of the world.

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UCL-led study finds climate impact caused by growing space industry needs urgent mitigation

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The rapidly growing space industry may have a greater climate effect than the aviation industry and undo repair to the protective ozone layer if left unregulated, according to a new study led by UCL and published in the journal Earth’s Future as an open-access paper. The space industry is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors.

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EPA tightens ground-level ozone standard to 70 ppb

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issued its final rule revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone to 70 parts per billion (ppb) from 75 ppb to protect public health. Ground-level ozone forms when nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react in the air. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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Rice/EPA study finds ground-level ozone falling faster than CMAQ model predicted

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Researchers from Rice University and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report in a paper in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry that particularly in Northeastern cities, ozone levels dropped even beyond what was anticipated by cutting emissions of NO x from 2002 to 2006. —Daniel Cohan, co-author. Earlier post.).

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Study Concludes Warming Climate Will Increase Ozone Levels in Major California Air Basins; Climate Change and Regional Air Quality Are Intertwined Problems

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Illustration of projected ozone changes in the South Coast region due to climate change in 2050. Areas in orange and red could see ozone concentrations elevated by 9 to 18 parts per billion. These narrow-focused models utilize high-resolution information about the geography, meteorology and emissions of these areas.

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Monitoring shows plumes of carcinogenic formaldehyde in neighborhoods along Houston’s Ship Channel

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parts per billion. In addition to contributing to cancer risk, formaldehyde reacts secondarily to form ground-level ozone, a respiratory irritant responsible for increased rates of cardiac arrest and asthma. parts per billion of formaldehyde—more than 13 times EPA’s health screening level.