EPA says Atlanta is meeting smog standards

Smog in downtown Atlanta (Credit: NASA, Institute for Southern Studies)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced after its three-year review that it plans to designate Atlanta as compliant to 1997 ground-level ozone limits.

The 1997 8-hour ozone standard was legislation that dictated that ozone, or smog, levels were not to exceed 84 parts per billion in order to preserve air quality. Atlanta’s ozone levels are currently around 80 parts per billion.

Emissions from industrial complexes, motor vehicles, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents are some of the main sources of ozone.

Ozone is linked to a variety of health problems in humans including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, congestion and reduced lung function.

Image: Smog in downtown Atlanta (Credit: NASA, Institute for Southern Studies)