The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the completion of a study that identified five Louisville-area counties as being significantly under the nation’s standards for microscopic particles and other harmful substances.

After conducting and comparing the air-quality measurements in 2005, 2006 and 2007, the conclusion reached by the EPA is that the counties Jefferson and Bullitt from Kentucky do not meet the federal particle standards. The same situation has been observed for the counties Clark and Floyd from Southern Indiana and also for a certain part of Jefferson County.

"These designations are an important step in our steady march toward cleaner air," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "We will continue working with our state … partners to meet these air-quality standards."

The EPA released a presentation, explaining the process and also why it is so dangerous to people’s lives. Fine particles are either emitted directly or formed in the air from reactions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. They represent a mix of soot, liquids and solids that can lodge in the lungs and get into the blood stream, aggravating asthma and increasing hospital admissions and emergency room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular patients.

Keeping the air clean, or cleaner to a certain extent, is considered a top priority, as it can significantly cut down on the medical bills and also keep people alive longer and better.

In 2006, the EPA tightened one of its two standards by agreeing to lower the acceptable quantity in the air during a 24-hour period to 35 micrograms per cubic meter, from 65, leaving unchanged what’s acceptable over an entire year — an average of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.

"Hopefully they’ll remand it back to the EPA, and the EPA can fix what needs to be fixed," said John Lyons, director of the Kentucky Division for Air Quality, referring to the 28-state cap-and-trade system for nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide to lower pollution from coal-fired power plants, called the Clean Air Interstate Rule, which was dismissed as fundamentally flawed by a federal appeal court.

Matt Stull, spokesman for the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District, explained that each one of the 40 recommendations released by the EPA is being carefully inspected and considered. "That’s a central part of our strategy not to just meet the federal standards, but with an adequate margin of safety," he said. In his opinion, the improvement of the air quality in Jefferson County and Louisville is closely related to the cleaner-burning diesel fuel, the diesel engines, and the production reduction at many of the areas’ manufacturing facilities.

These evaluations will continue all across the country and they should also be adopted worldwide, in order to understand the changes that our environment is going through. There are some who think that there many other problems that need more attention than this, but it should be considered a top priority by everyone.