Lower lead in air keeps us healthier

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its decision to set a more stringent standard of the allowable amount of airborne lead to 0.15 micrograms per cubic meter of air — 90 percent lower than the previous standard of 1.5 micrograms per cubic meter.

It has been 30 years since the EPA first acted on reducing lead emissions by phasing out lead in gasoline.

This new ruling came only after the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Missouri ordered the agency to establish a new standard by midnight Wednesday. The court order after the Missouri Coalition for the Environment filed a suit charging the EPA with failure to review the lead standard as required by law — which mandates a review every 5 years.

About 18 counties in 12 states (Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas) will not be able to meet the standard. The state and local governments will be given more than 8 years to clean up the areas.

While the new standard seems tough, the EPA will still have a problem enforcing it. Its system of monitors to detect lead contamination in air is considered frayed. There are only 133 monitors still operating across the country, a far cry from the 800 monitors operating back in 1980.

The dangers of lead to human health have been known for over a hundred years. Even low levels of exposure in early childhood can damage learning abilities, IQ and memory development. Older children with low-level exposure have been known to suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and juvenile delinquency. In adults, lead toxicity can lead to cardiovascular disease, heightened blood pressure and kidney problems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are approximately 310,000 children between the ages of 1 and 5 years whose lead levels are at levels that require medical attention. Lead poisoning is often difficult to recognize because the individual may exhibit no symptoms.

The new standard is near the lower limit of a range recommended by an independent panel of scientists to the EPA in May.

An industry group, the Association of Battery Recyclers, said their members would find difficulty meeting the new limit. Several members of the association had traveled to Washington to plead for a more lenient standard.

Aside from battery recyclers, lead emissions come most commonly from cement factories, smelters, and steel plants. Together, these industries throw about 1,300 tons of lead into the air each year.