We Nevadans, especially those of us here in Southern Nevada, know all too well the danger that air pollution, including soot, poses to our community. We know when the air isn’t safe, because when it’s not, the beautiful views of the mountains around the valley are clouded by smog. A new report published by the American Lung Association gave Clark County an “F” grade for soot pollution in the air. According to this report, 94 percent of Nevadans live in counties that received “F” grades for air quality.

But earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enacted a new, stronger standard to cut pollution from what scientists call “particulate matter,” or what is known more commonly as soot. These new standards are long overdue; the Clean Air Act not only allows but also requires the EPA to create national air quality standards. Moreover, the law requires that these standards be strong enough to protect public health, and that the EPA update these standards periodically to ensure that they reflect the latest scientific knowledge about dangerous air pollution. 

To be clear, soot — the tiny particles released into the air when fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gasoline are burned — is a dangerous pollutant. These particles are microscopically small — it would take roughly 36 of them to equal the size of a single grain of sand — and can be inhaled deeply into our lungs. Studies show that exposure to soot pollution increases the risk of adverse health outcomes for people of all demographics. For pregnant women and babies, soot exposure increases the risk of premature birth, low birth weight and even infant mortality. For others, soot exposure is linked to chronic respiratory conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and to cardiovascular issues, including heart disease, hypertension and heart failure. 

There is no safe level of exposure to soot pollution. This is why the EPA’s new standards, motivated by an unwavering commitment to public health, should be applauded. The last time that these standards were updated was in 2012 — more than 10 years ago. Since then, new research has taught us more about the harmful effects of soot. Thankfully, the new standards will protect us all, including those of us here in Southern Nevada, from the pollution that’s harming our health and shortening our lives.

But not everyone supports this progress. When the EPA announced its new protections against soot, attorneys general from 24 states filed lawsuits to stop these protections from being implemented. It also appears that Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has hatched a plan to pass a law overturning these new protections. Think of all the real problems that members of Congress could spend their time on: We have a housing crisis, a medical-debt crisis and a crisis of rising food insecurity. Rather than spending their time addressing these real problems, some members of Congress are choosing instead to advance the interests of corporate polluters, working to roll back protections for everyday people here in Nevada and elsewhere. 

We cannot allow this to happen. Soot pollution kills, and the EPA’s new standards represent a lifesaving intervention. When researchers at Harvard crunched the numbers, they found that in Nevada, soot pollution caused nearly 1,200 premature deaths in 2018 alone. That’s just one year.

Nevadans have been breathing high levels of soot pollution for decades. Even if measured only in terms of lives lost or lives shortened, the cumulative impact of this pollution is hard to fathom. How many Nevadans would be alive today if they hadn’t spent years breathing polluted air? How much more time would they have had with their families and loved ones if these protections had been implemented sooner? We can never know.

What we can do, however, is estimate the impact that these protections will have going forward. By cutting soot pollution, the EPA’s new standards will prevent 4,500 premature deaths, 5,700 new cases of asthma, and 290,000 lost work days each year. Given how bad a problem we have with air pollution in Nevada (and in Clark County in particular), we can expect that the benefits of these protections will be felt close to home.

Moreover, the economic implications are profound. The health benefits of this policy, pegged at up to $46 billion by 2032, will ease the financial burdens on our health care system, freeing up resources for further investment in public health and well-being. Cleaner air means not only reduced health care costs but also enhanced productivity and a stronger economy.

It’s important that we all stand together, united in an effort to defend these new protections — our protections — from special interests that want to see them watered down or repealed altogether. It’s important not just for ourselves but for the next generation. Let’s ensure that we continue to move forward and create a better tomorrow with cleaner air for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.

Leo Murrieta is the director of Make the Road Nevada, a progressive non-profit organization focused on serving the Latine and directly impacted community.

The Nevada Independent welcomes informed, cogent rebuttals to opinion pieces such as this. Send them to [email protected].