Press Release  AG Campbell Calls on EPA to Adopt Strict Air Quality Standards to Protect the Public From Harmful Particulate Matter Pollution

BOSTON — In continuation of her commitment to advocate for environmental justice, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell joined a coalition of attorneys general in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt stringent standards under the Clean Air Act to protect public health and welfare against particulate matter (PM) pollution. These standards, known as the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), are critical to Massachusetts’ efforts to improve air quality and the health of Black and Latinx communities, who are disproportionately impacted by PM pollution.

Particulate matter is a pollutant emitted from a variety of sources including vehicles, factories and construction sites. Fine particulate matter – particles that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM_2.5) – is the largest environmental health risk factor in the country and can lead to serious medical conditions including premature death, asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, dementia and cognitive impairment. PM_2.5 pollution also reduces visibility, contributes to the climate crisis and degrades the environment. In a comment letter sent to EPA Tuesday, AG Campbell called for more protective federal standards for PM pollution to ensure healthier air quality for Massachusetts residents. The comment letter is a continuation of the AG Office’s Clean Air Initiative, which is focused on tackling air pollution that disproportionately impacts historically marginalized communities in Massachusetts that have been overburdened by environmental harms.

Massachusetts has suffered serious harm from PM_2.5 pollution. In 2019 alone, Massachusetts PM_2.5 pollution was responsible for approximately 2,780 adult deaths, approximately 200 low-weight births and more than 15,000 asthma cases.

“Exposure to particulate matter pollution poses serious health risks especially for vulnerable communities across the Commonwealth,” said AG Campbell. “Together with my colleagues from across the country, we are calling on EPA to strengthen the National Ambient Air Quality Standards, so we can ensure our residents are breathing cleaner and healthier air, and are protected from the serious health conditions associated with exposure to this dangerous pollutant.”

Under the Clean Air Act, EPA is required to set NAAQS for several pollutants, including PM, at a level that protects public health and welfare. Once the NAAQS are set, states are tasked with implementing those standards. The EPA has now proposed new PM NAAQS to replace standards originally issued many years ago, which the Trump Administration refused to strengthen despite overwhelming evidence that certain standards failed to protect public health and welfare, especially for sensitive populations. In 2021, the Massachusetts AG’s Office was part of a coalition of attorneys general that sued the Trump Administration over its refusal to update the PM NAAQS, and has since successfully petitioned EPA to reconsider that decision. 

In the comment letter, the coalition urges EPA to take long-overdue action to adopt strict standards for particulate matter pollution to protect human health in all communities, including sensitive populations and communities that have historically suffered disproportionately severe PM exposure. 

Earlier this year, the AG’s Office announced it was expanding its air quality monitoring initiative, the Pioneer Valley Healthy Air Network, into additional communities in the region. The initiative is a collaborative partnership with municipal, public health and environmental leaders to provide important public health information and to support communities in a region that has been disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices. The Pioneer Valley Healthy Air Network now allows residents in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Greenfield, Westfield, Easthampton, Hadley, Amherst, Deerfield, Athol, Orange, Sunderland and Palmer to monitor air pollution levels in their neighborhood and informs them on how to take action if higher levels of pollutants are detected.

Joining AG Campbell in filing the letter are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, the District of Columbia, and the City of New York.

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