Almost all doubt has been removed that particulate pollution causes significant health problems, according to U.S. EPA scientists working on a draft review of the issue. The review takes into account 3,000 new health studies published since 1997, the year that the agency decided to move forward with a new standard for particulates. The pollution comes mostly from vehicles and power plants, and industry groups are strongly opposed to the new standard — but one of the highlighted studies in the EPA review was actually funded in part by industry. So far the top officials in the Bush administration haven’t indicated where they stand on the topic.
