News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards Orange County, Florida $79,530 to Reduce Air Pollution

ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded a $79,530 grant to Orange County, Florida to support their ongoing program to protect air quality so that it achieves established ambient air standards and protects human health in Orange County.  The program includes ambient air monitoring and various other activities to reduce or control air pollutants such as ozone, particulate matter, regional haze, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and mercury.

“A fundamental part of EPA’s ‘back-to-basics agenda’ is strengthening our state and local partnerships. Grants like this are an example of how we can work together with states and municipalities to make significant investments and progress in cleaning up the air,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

“We appreciate and thank EPA for continuing to be an air-quality funding partner with Orange County Florida,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. “Our local air quality management efforts protect and improve air quality and public health for our residents and the more than 68 million visitors of Central Florida. Put simply, protecting the air we breathe is foundational to making Orange County ‘Our Home for Life,’ and the best place in the world to live, work, play and raise a family.”

Air pollution can affect heart health and even trigger heart attacks and strokes. That’s important information for the one in three Americans who have heart disease, and for the people who love them. In a recent study in Environmental Research, EPA scientists looked at data from NASA satellites and EPA ground-based air monitors, and confirmed that heart disease and heart attacks are more likely for individuals who live in places with higher air pollution. The study found that exposure to even small additional amounts of fine particle pollution averaged over a year could increase a person’s odds of a heart attack by up to 14 percent.

For more than forty years, the Clean Air Act has cut pollution as the U.S. economy has grown. It has also lowered levels of six common pollutants -- particles, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide -- as well as numerous toxic pollutants. The progress of the Act reflects efforts by state, local and tribal governments; EPA; private sector companies; environmental groups and others.

To learn more about EPA Air Quality programs, visit: https://www3.epa.gov/airquality/

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