News
Are Legally Acceptable Levels of Pollution Harming Children’s Cognitive Development?
New research finds children exposed to “safe” levels of three EPA-monitored air pollutants show altered developmental processes in neural networks crucial to some social and cognitive functions.
By Jake Bolster
Between 1955 and 1970, the United States passed five laws to monitor and regulate the country’s air pollution. Each act built upon the last and, in 1970, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, which established guidelines for “safe” levels of ambient air pollution, some of which are still used today.
Related Knowledge Center: Air emissions
State of Play
More than 30 years after the last major update of the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Supreme Court has upended the ability of Congress to give the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies broad scope to combat air pollution, including the emission of greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, further Biden administration efforts to limit emissions face opposition in the courts.