Final Reconsideration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM)
On February 7, 2024, EPA strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM NAAQS) to protect millions of Americans from harmful and costly health impacts, such as heart attacks and premature death. Particle or soot pollution is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution, and an extensive body of science links it to a range of serious and sometimes deadly illnesses. EPA is setting the level of the primary (health-based) annual PM2.5 standard at 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter to provide increased public health protection, consistent with the available health science.
EPA is not changing the current:
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primary and secondary (welfare-based) 24-hour PM2.5 standards,
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secondary annual PM2.5 standard, and
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primary and secondary PM10 standards.
EPA is also revising the Air Quality Index to improve public communications about the risks from PM2.5 exposures and making changes to the monitoring network to enhance protection of air quality in communities overburdened by air pollution.
- Overview (pdf)
- Implementation (pdf)
- Air Quality Index (pdf)
- Monitoring (pdf)
- Wildland Fire (pdf)
- Effective Permitting Tools for Fine Particulate Matter under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration Permitting Program
Preamble:
Regulatory Impact Analysis:
- Most Counties with Monitors Already Meet the Strengthened Particle Pollution Standard (Based on 2020-2022 Air Monitoring Data) (pdf)
- EPA Projects More than 99% of Counties would Meet the Revised Fine Particle Pollution Standard (Based on EPA Modeling of Projected 2032 Emissions) (pdf)
- Fine Particle Concentrations for Counties with Monitors Based on Air Quality Data from 2020-2022 (pdf)
- EPA Projects 52 Counties would not Meet the Strengthened Standard in 2032 (pdf)