What Improvement Would Result from EPAs New Standards?
EPA’s new ozone standards will provide increased protection beyond that provided by the previous standard from the following effects: • Reduced risk of significant decreases (15% to over 20%) in children’s lung functions (such as difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath), approximately 1 million fewer incidences each year, which can limit a healthy child’s activities or result in increased medication use, or medical treatment, for children with asthma • Reduced risk of moderate to severe respiratory symptoms in children, hundreds of thousands of fewer incidences each year of symptoms such as aggravated coughing and difficult or painful breathing • Reduced risk of hospital admissions and emergency room visits for respiratory causes, thousands fewer admissions and visits for individuals with asthma • Reduced risks of more frequent childhood illnesses and more subtle effects such as repeated inflammation of the lung, impairment of the lung’s natural defense mechanisms, increased sus
