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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

NRC faults science behind ozone regs

Journal Article · · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)
Twenty years of regulation aimed at reducing the most harmful component of smog - tropospheric ozone - have been based on inadequate measurements and are focused too strongly on one pollutant. As a result, ozone levels have been rising. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 67 million people are now routinely exposed to ozone concentrations that exceed standards set under the Clean Air Act. At the heart of the problem, is the fact that emissions of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), have been chronically underestimated. The implication is that regulations designed to control the release of VOCs from various sources. Despite billions of dollars worth of pollution control measures, a fundamental change in US ozone reduction strategy might be necessary. Moreover, the report faults the statistical calculations that researchers and regulators use to predict changes in ozone levels, arguing that these measurements are prone to periodic weather fluctuations that might mask longterm ozone trends.
OSTI ID:
7271259
Journal Information:
Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 255:5040; ISSN SCIEA; ISSN 0036-8075
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English