U.S. Study Finds There Is No Safe Level for = Ozone

From: Subject: U.S. Study Finds There Is No Safe Level for Ozone Date: Fri, 24 Feb 2006 09:05:50 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01C63921.82050970" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2670 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C63921.82050970 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://news.findlaw.com/scripts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/wash/s/20060217/20060217101020.html U.S. Study Finds There Is No Safe Level for = Ozone

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February 17,=20 2006

=20

U.S. Study Finds There Is No Safe Level for Ozone

High ozone levels a growing concern for = rapidly=20 developing nations

A nationwide study sponsored by the U.S. Environmental = Protection=20 Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and = Prevention=20 shows that even at very low levels, ozone -- the main = ingredient in=20 smog -- increases the risk of premature death.

According to a February 16 Yale University press release, = if a=20 safe level for ozone exists, it is only at very low or = natural=20 levels and far below levels deemed acceptable by current = U.S. and=20 international regulations.

An increase of 10 parts ozone per billion parts air (10 = ppb) in=20 the average of the two previous days' ozone levels is = associated=20 with a 0.30 percent increase in mortality, the study = found.

Ozone is a relatively unstable molecule made up of three = oxygen=20 atoms. Depending on where ozone is in the atmosphere, it can = protect=20 or harm life on Earth. In the stratosphere, between 10 and = 40=20 kilometers above the Earth, ozone acts as a shield to = protect=20 Earth's surface from the sun's harmful ultraviolet = radiation.

Closer to Earth in the troposphere, the layer of the = atmosphere=20 from the surface to about 10 kilometers up, ozone is a = harmful=20 pollutant that causes damage to lung tissue and plants.

The study builds on research published in November 2004 = in the=20 Journal of the American Medical Association =E2=80=93 = the first=20 national study of ozone and mortality.

=E2=80=9COur findings show that even if all 98 counties = in our study=20 met the current ozone standard every day, there would still = be a=20 significant link between ozone and premature mortality," = said=20 Michelle Bell, lead investigator on the study and assistant=20 professor of environmental health at the Yale School of = Forestry and=20 Environmental Studies in Connecticut.

Further reductions in ozone pollution would benefit = public=20 health, she added, even in areas that meet regulatory=20 requirements.

=E2=80=9CElevated concentrations of ozone are also a = growing concern=20 for rapidly developing nations with rising levels of ozone = from=20 expanding transportation networks," said Francesca Dominici, = co-author of the study and associate professor of = biostatistics at=20 Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.

Researchers found that even for days that now meet the = EPA limit=20 for an acceptable level of ozone -- 80 ppb for an eight-hour = period=20 -- there was still an increased risk of death from the=20 pollutant.

The EPA now is considering whether more stringent = standards for=20 ozone are needed.

The study,= =20 published in Environmental Health Perspectives, is = available=20 on the U.S. National Institutes of Health Web site.

Text of the Yale University press release follows:

(begin text)

Yale University
[New Haven, Connecticut]
Press = release,=20 February 16, 2006

Study finds no safe level for ozone

Even at very low levels, ozone--the principal ingredient = in=20 smog--increases the risk of premature death, according to a=20 nationwide study to be published in the April edition of the = journal=20 Environmental Health Perspectives.

The study, sponsored by the Environmental Protection = Agency and=20 the Centers for Disease Control, found that if a safe level = for=20 ozone exists, it is only at very low or natural levels and = far below=20 current U.S. and international regulations. A 10 = part-per-billion=20 increase in the average of the two previous days' ozone = levels is=20 associated with a 0.30 percent increase in mortality.

The current study builds on research published in = November 2004=20 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which = was the=20 first national study of ozone and mortality.

"This study investigates whether there is a threshold = level below=20 which ozone does not affect mortality. Our findings show = that even=20 if all 98 counties in our study met the current ozone = standard every=20 day, there would still be a significant link between ozone = and=20 premature mortality," said Michelle Bell, lead investigator = on the=20 study and assistant professor of environmental health at the = Yale=20 School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. "This = indicates that=20 further reductions in ozone pollution would benefit public = health,=20 even in areas that meet regulatory requirements."

Researchers found that even for days that currently meet = the EPA=20 limit for an acceptable level of ozone--80 parts per billion = for an=20 eight-hour period--there was still an increased risk of = death from=20 the pollutant.

An effort is now under way by the EPA to consider whether = more=20 stringent standards for ozone are needed. The agency is = mandated to=20 set regulations for ozone under the Clean Air Act. Ozone, a = gas that=20 occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, is created in the = lower=20 atmosphere when vehicle and industrial emissions react with=20 sunlight. Levels typically rise when sunlight and heat are = highest=20 in the summer.

"Over 100 million people in the United States live in = areas that=20 exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for ozone. = Elevated=20 concentrations of ozone are also a growing concern for = rapidly=20 developing nations with rising levels of ozone from = expanding=20 transportation networks," said Francesca Dominici, co-author = of the=20 study and associate professor of biostatistics at Johns = Hopkins.

The study is online at http://ehp= .niehs.nih.gov/docs/2006/8816/abstract.html=20

Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies http://www.yale.edu/forestry/ =

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information = Programs,=20 U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) =

=20

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#cccccc; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, = Helvetica, sans-serif; TEXT-DECORATION: none } A.left-link:hover { COLOR: #000099; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } A.left-link:hover { COLOR: #cc0000 } .left-linkdes:hover { COLOR: #000099; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } .left-linkdes:hover { COLOR: #cc0000 } .left-linkspecial:hover { COLOR: #000099; TEXT-DECORATION: underline } .left-linkspecial:hover { COLOR: #cc0000 } .tab { TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in } ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01C63921.82050970 Content-Type: application/octet-stream Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://images.findlaw.com/doubleclick/db_funcs.js // Doubleclick html tag generator (javascript)=0A= =0A= //*************** Global Variables ********//=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: top_rand=0A= // Random Number used throughout page (each ad uses same number)=0A= var top_rand =3D (Math.random() * 10000000000000000) + "?";=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: o_urlstring=0A= var o_urlstring =3D document.URL;=0A= o_urlstring =3D path(o_urlstring);=0A= o_urlstring =3D replace(o_urlstring, "_");=0A= if (o_urlstring.indexOf('?') !=3D -1) {=0A= var temp1_url =3D o_urlstring.split('?');=0A= o_urlstring =3D temp1_url[0];=0A= }=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: db_sitename=0A= var db_sitename =3D siten();=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: urlArray=0A= // break up o_urlstring into chunks according to "/" =0A= var urlArray =3D new Array();=0A= urlArray=3Do_urlstring.split('/');=0A= var page=3DurlArray[urlArray.length-1];=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: pgnm=0A= // represents pagename=0A= var pgnm;=0A= if ((o_urlstring.indexOf(".pl") =3D=3D -1) && = (o_urlstring.indexOf(".html") =3D=3D -1) && (o_urlstring.indexOf(".jsp") = =3D=3D -1))=0A= pgnm =3D "index";=0A= else=0A= pgnm =3D page.substring(0, page.indexOf('.'));=0A= =0A= // Global Variable: kwString=0A= // generate the kw values for targeting purposes=0A= var kwString;=0A= var level;=0A= if (urlArray[0] !=3D -1) { =0A= var name=3DurlArray[0].substring(0, urlArray[0].indexOf('.'));=0A= if (name.indexOf("findlaw") !=3D -1)=0A= name =3D "www";=0A= kwString =3D ";area1=3D" + name;=0A= level =3D 0;=0A= =0A= //put the word "area*=3D" for as many array as we have.=0A= for (var i =3D 1; i < urlArray.length-1; i++) {=0A= kwString +=3D ";area" + (i+1) + "=3D" + urlArray[i];=0A= level++;=0A= }=0A= kwString +=3D ";level=3D" + level + ";pgnm=3D" + pgnm;=0A= }=0A= =0A= // Alleviates Netscape document.write bug (refresh problem)=0A= NS4 =3D document.layers;=0A= if (NS4) {=0A= origWidth =3D innerWidth;=0A= origHeight =3D innerHeight;=0A= }=0A= =0A= function reDo() {=0A= if (innerWidth !=3D origWidth || innerHeight !=3D origHeight)=0A= location.reload();=0A= }=0A= =0A= if (NS4) onresize=3DreDo;=0A= =0A= //************** Functions Used to Generate Banner Ads **********//=0A= =0A= // Function: top()=0A= // Generate 468x60 banner ad html tags for FindLaw site=0A= function top(t_urlstring){=0A= var urli =3D "http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/" + db_sitename + "/";=0A= var urlj =3D "http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/" + db_sitename + = "/;abr=3D!webtv";=0A= =0A= urli +=3D kwString + ";sz=3D468x60;tile=3D1;ord=3D" + top_rand + '" = width=3D"468" height=3D"60" frameborder=3D"no" border=3D"0" = MARGINWIDTH=3D"0" MARGINHEIGHT=3D"0" SCROLLING=3D"no">';=0A= urlj +=3D kwString + ";sz=3D468x60;tile=3D1;ord=3D" + top_rand;=0A= =0A= if (document.URL.indexOf("dir-dev.") !=3D -1)=0A= document.write("

TEST = ENVIRONMENT

");=0A= else {=0A= // print out the doubleclick html tags=0A= document.write("\n");=0A= document.write('