Georgia is set to reconsider its air quality permitting and regulations as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced on Wednesday that it is lowering limits for soot pollution known as PM 2.5.
“The science is clear. Soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution and it’s linked to a range of serious and potentially deadly illnesses, including asthma and heart attacks,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. The new rule sets the upper limit for soot pollution, lowering it from 12 to nine micrograms per cubic meter.
He said the agency estimates the new rule will avoid 4,500 premature deaths, 800,000 avoided cases of asthma symptoms and 290,000 avoided lost workdays by 2032.
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