Air pollution can make you sick. It can
cause burning eyes and nose and an itchy, irritated throat, as well as trouble
in breathing. Some chemicals found in polluted air cause cancer, birth
defects, brain and nerve damage and long-term injury to the lungs and
breathing passages. Some air pollutants are so dangerous that accidental
releases can cause serious injury or even death.
Air pollution can damage the
environment. Trees, lakes and animals have been harmed by air pollution. Air
pollutants have thinned the protective ozone layer above the Earth; this loss
of ozone could cause changes in the environment as well as more skin cancer
and cataracts (eye damage) in people.
Air pollution can damage property. It
can dirty buildings and other structures. Some common pollutants eat away
stone, damaging buildings, monuments and statues.
Air pollution can cause haze, reducing
visibility in national parks and sometime interfering with aviation.
The Clean Air Act will improve air
quality in the United States, a good thing for your health, your property and
the environment. The 1990 Act[1] could change the way you work or do business,
and it could, in some ways, change the way you live. The 1990 Clean Air Act is
lengthy--about 800 pages--because it tackles many difficult and complicated
air pollution problems.
[1] The 1990 Clean Air Act is the most
recent version of a law first passed in 1970. The 1990 amendments made major
changes in the Clean Air Act. This summary covers some of the important
provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act.
We have prepared this summary of the
1990 version of the Clean Air Act because we think everyone should understand
what is in the law and how it may effect them.
This summary is only a brief
introduction to the 1990 Clean Air Act. If you want more information, please
contact your regional office of the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) or
your state, city, regional, or local air pollution control agency. You can
reach EPA regional office information from the Region
Locator as well as information about
state and local air pollution agencies at OAR
Government Partners.
