American Lung Association Moves to Intervene in Litigation to Support Ozone Standard

The American Lung Association is formally moving to intervene to legally defend the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Ozone. Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, issued the following statement about the Lung Association's response to legal challenges and its work to safeguard the ozone air pollution health standard from attempts to weaken it:

"Ozone is the nation's most widespread air pollutant and a primary component of smog. Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency updated the standard for ozone pollution, which was a step forward in helping prevent childhood asthma attacks, missed days of work and school, and premature deaths connected with the pollutant ozone.

"Unfortunately, there is a challenge to the standard and today the American Lung Association is moving to intervene to defend the ozone standard from this attack.

"Scientists, physicians and the health community at large have long recognized ozone's potential to cause premature death. Unsafe levels of ozone can cause difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing, and asthma attacks, and can result in a trip to the emergency room and admission to the hospital.

"We cannot afford to backslide on the progress being made toward cleaning up the air we breathe."