- Tougher annual and 24-hour standards for particulate matter (fine particles measuring 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller)
- A tougher standard for ozone (the main ingredient in smog), and a change in the measuring period from one hour to eight hours.
Don't Choke on Air Standards
New air-quality standards were released on July 18 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The controversial new standards pitted environmentalists and public-health advocates against business groups, and left those in the newspaper industry wondering, "How is this going to affect me?"
The EPA's National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone and Particulate Matter call for the following changes:
During a July 24 satellite broadcast, EPA panelists and scientists discussed the new measures. For now, it seems the effect of the standards on the newspaper industry will be minimal, or at least will take a while to hit.
"Newspapers generate only a small amount of particulate as exhaust from fuel-oil heating systems. The paper dust generated by presses is insignificant and remains indoors," says Don Hensel of NAA's environmental-services department. "However, newspaper fleet vehicles [diesel engines] generate a measurable amount of particulate," says Hensel.
"Solvents used for blanket and press washing, and VOCs from ink and fountain solution, contribute to the generation of ozone smog. We may see more restrictive operating permits issued to newspapers by state agencies requiring the use of low-VOC ink and blanket/press washes," Hensel continues. "However, that is several years up the road."
According to the Clean Air Act of 1970, the EPA must review health-and-welfare standards every five years and revise them accordingly. This is the first change to the particulate standard in a decade and to the ozone standard in 20 years.
If you wish to obtain more information on the new standards and fact sheets from the Clean Air Amendments bulletin board, visit the EPA's Web page (http://www.epa.gov/ttn).
Keisha Stewart is a student at the University of Maryland College of Journalism and an intern at TechNews. E-mail, stewk@naa.org; phone, (703) 902-1885; fax, (703) 902-1690.