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EPA Regulations on Rural Dust

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulates emissions of airborne particulate matter to improve air quality and protect public and environmental health. Particulate matter comprises a variety of substances, including metals, acids, soot and dust. Standards for allowable particulate levels are the same for urban and rural areas throughout the nation.



A legally required EPA review of these standards has raised concerns that the agency may impose stricter standards in 2011. Some farmers, industry groups and politicians claim that more stringent clean-air standards will place an unfair burden on rural areas, where farms and feedlots generate large amounts of dust and other airborne particulates.

  1. Description

    • The possible standard change deals with particulates between 2.5 and 10 micrometers in diameter, or roughly one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. These particulates are thrown into the air by factories, mining operations, motor vehicles, farming equipment and other sources. Current EPA regulations allow no more than 150 micrograms of particulates in a cubic meter of air. (In California, a stricter, state-mandated standard of 50 micrograms per cubic meter took effect in 2003.)

    Health Concerns

    • The tiny size of particulates makes them dangerous. "They are small enough that they bypass the natural defenses of the body and can be inhaled deeply into the lung," according to Janice Nolen, vice president of the American Lung Association. Proponents of stricter regulations cite health studies showing that further limits on particulate emissions would reduce heart and lung illnesses, saving lives and medical costs.

    Objections

    • In a letter to the EPA dated July 23, 2010, 21 U.S. senators argued that tougher standards for allowable particulates would be difficult for farmers to meet, and could hurt rural economies. The letter urged the EPA to use "common sense" in revising its rules, stating that "excessive dust control measures...could slow economic development and impose significant costs to farmers and businesses."

      As of September 2010, it is unclear whether the EPA will leave the current standard unchanged, reduce the allowable limit by roughly 50 percent (per the informal proposal made during the review process), or reduce the limit by some smaller percentage.

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