Phoenix residents may soon find themselves subject to more stringent rules on air quality as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to reduce the permissible levels of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, from 12 micrograms per cubic meter down to nine, ABC15 reports. This move, driven by health concerns associated with such pollution, places Maricopa County on the hot seat as it currently does not meet these new standards.
In an interview with ABC15, Hazel Chandler, a local asthmatic, detailed a past incident linked to polluted air that exacerbated her health condition, stating, "I coughed so hard, and nothing would touch it." A closer look by Maricopa County Air Quality department spokesperson, Ari Halpert, spotlights residential wood burning as a primary contributor to PM2.5 pollution, with trapped soot and smoke exacerbating conditions for days or weeks because "there is a type of lid that is created over the Valley," Halpert explained, thus, this trap creates a lingering haze of air pollutants long after burnings and fireworks have ended.
To comply with the new EPA mandate, local officials may need to enact harsher regulations, especially on no-burn days, targeting residential wood burning practices across the county. According to ABC15, a failure to meet the updated standards by the end of the year would prompt the creation of an action plan to address high-pollution areas, with an eye towards meeting the standard by 2032.
On the health front, disparities in the effects of soot pollution have been emphasized by the Hispanic Access Foundation's climate manager, Hilda Berganza, who told ABC15, "The Latino population primarily works and lives and plays by many of the sources that produce these pollutants, the soot pollution." The EPA has estimated that the implementation of the stronger standard could result in saving up to 4,500 lives nationwide over the next eight years, showing the gravity of the issue at hand.
Beyond PM2.5, the agency is also showing concerns about the state's management of coarse particulate matter (PM-10), citing shortcomings in the current air quality plan submitted by Maricopa County. According to Hoodline, EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest, Jared Blumenfeld said, "Phoenix has an air quality problem that EPA is committed to solving." He noted that while existing measures deal with pollution, more aggressive strategies are now required. The EPA's proposed disapproval of the plan sets the stage for the state to revise its approach or otherwise face potential federal sanctions, underscoring the pressing nature of the air quality issues within the Phoenix metropolitan area.
