The pollution you don’t see can be the most deadly. That’s why we’ve long advocated for strong protections against particle pollution, which is also known as “PM2.5” and “soot.” This type of pollution consists of tiny particles that can become embedded in our lungs and enter the bloodstream, triggering asthma attacks and contributing to heart attacks, strokes, cancer, diabetes, premature birth, and more.
Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule that would bring us closer to the particle pollution safeguards that the country’s leading medical groups recommend. This morning, our National Manager for Health Equity, Almeta Cooper, testified in defense of EPA’s authority—and duty—to set strong, health-protective standards in testimony before the US House Energy & Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.
Almeta told the subcommittee:
“Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to use the best available science to set air quality standards that are protective of human health. Moms Clean Air Force believes it is imperative that EPA follow the science and enact strong safeguards. It is a legal duty, and we believe that everyone has a right to breathe clean air… Particle pollution, also known as PM2.5, is also a leading cause of premature death. In the US, researchers estimate that PM2.5 is responsible for well over 100,000 deaths each year – a staggering toll for families and communities around the country.”
Cutting particle pollution is critical to environmental justice, Almeta testified:
“The public health burden of PM2.5 is not distributed evenly. In the US, people of color, particularly Black and Latino communities, are disproportionately exposed to this dangerous pollutant. People of color are more than six times more likely to visit the emergency room for asthma-related issues. Black children are more than seven times more likely to die from asthma than white children. And Black Americans 65 years and older are three times more likely to die from exposure to soot than white Americans over 65. These inequities are patently unjust.”
Almeta reminded members of the subcommittee that each of these statistics represents someone’s child, parent, friend, or loved-one. Read her full testimony for the stories of those who have been impacted particle pollution or live with health conditions linked to exposure.