A common air pollutant poses greater health risks than generally understood and regulators are not keeping up, according to a new report that promotes increased use of satellite tracking as one fix.
The pollutant is nitrogen dioxide, part of a broader class of reactive gases tied to respiratory harm and emitted by sources ranging from automobile tailpipes to coal-fired power plants. Nonetheless, it remains “under-researched, under-monitored and under-regulated,” American Lung Association researchers wrote in the report released Thursday.
While the existing network of ground-based monitors, for example, shows that nitrogen dioxide levels generally meet EPA standards, “a closer examination reveals significant variations in community-level air quality that often go undetected,” the report said.
The authors pointed to an earlier study that found that Black Americans and other people of color are exposed to nitrogen dioxide levels up to 50 percent higher than the national average. Despite cleaner-burning vehicle fuels and other advances, traffic-related pollution continues to grow in many areas, they added.
