The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday strengthened the nation’s air quality standards for lead, improving this way public health protection, especially for children who are more predisposed to this kind of poisoning.

Lead exposure is known to cause organ, brain and nerve damage, lower intelligence, suppress the immune system and can cause high blood pressure and increase heart disease.

High levels of lead pollution can also contribute to the global warming, which will exacerbate heart and lung problems, and will lead to more extreme weather conditions, triggering floods, intense storms, long droughts and extended hot-weather seasons. Diseases will spread more quickly and people will be prone to asthma or other pulmonary ailments, as health problems will take a heavy toll on the poor, elderly and young. Kidney stone disease or nephrolithiasis is not the only condition scientists have predicted to come together with global warming. Many scientists already think global warming will increase the reach of tropical disease such as malaria.

The new standards imposed by the EPA reduce the allowable lead level 10 times to 0.15 micrograms of lead per cubic meter (ug/m3) of air. The Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee recommended 0.02 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air.

The previous standards were set 30 years ago and were 1.5 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air. By that time, children’s average blood lead levels were seven times higher than today, John Balbus, chief health scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, said. Balubus is also a member of the EPA Children's Health Protection Advisory Committee.

“America's air is cleaner than a generation ago. With these stronger standards a new generation of Americans are being protected from harmful lead emissions,” said EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson.

The decision follows a review of the science on lead, advice from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and consideration of public comments.

“In tightening the lead standard by 90 percent, I relied upon the recommendations of EPA staff and the science of more than 6,000 studies since 1990,” Johnson said.

The EPA estimates that 18 counties in a dozen states will violate the new standard. They include Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. Local government must find ways to further reduce lead emissions. The major sources of lead emissions have been motor vehicles and lead smelters, waste incinerators, utilities, and lead-acid battery manufacturers.

The EPA also estimates that the cost of reductions would be between $150 million to 2.8 billion, but the standard would produce economic benefits of $3.7 billion to 6.9 billion. Children would get smarter because they would not be exposed to lead anymore and the number of conditions cause by lead exposure would diminish costing the US less money.