This is a guest opinion column

We all know the difference between clean air and bad air. We can see it: Dark plumes spewing from factory smoke stacks or spilling from the backs of trucks or hazy skies turned grey—or worse—from the thick waves of wildfire smoke. And even when we can’t see it—because some air pollution is so microscopic that it’s invisible to the naked eye—we can smell it.

What’s in all this bad air is particulate matter, or PM2.5, also widely known as soot. And it’s terrible for our health.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is tasked with ensuring that the air we breathe is clean by regulating how much soot in the air is permissible. Science tells us repeatedly—that the current soot standards are outdated and insufficient to protect public health. This is especially true for the populations disproportionately impacted by particulate matter pollution, including low-income communities and communities of color.

We must do better. And we can, if the EPA updates the soot standards to reflect the most current and compelling science. This means the regulations on particulate matter should be no higher than 8 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3) for the annual standard and no higher than 25 μg/m3 for the 24-hour standard. We urge the EPA to make these changes now.

Soot is a dangerous and deadly pollutant composed of metals, organic chemicals and acidic substances. It is produced by power plants, vehicle tailpipes and other industrial sources. It is also found in the smoke that comes from ever-more-common wildfires. Soot particles are so small, miniscule really, that once they are inhaled, they easily get into the bloodstream. Soot threatens our health and our environment—posing particular risks for children, seniors and people with chronic illnesses.

Exposure to this kind of pollution has been linked to a long list of serious medical conditions and illnesses. Those include asthma attacks, heart attacks, stroke, heart disease, COPD, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, low birth weight, greater risk of preterm birth and higher rates of infant mortality. In addition, recent studies have shown that even low levels of air pollution exposure, including to soot, lead to increased risks of Covid-19 infection. Particulate matter pollution is so lethal that a recent study found that soot causes anywhere from 85,000-200,000 deaths every year.

The problem is pervasive. According to the American Lung Association’s (ALA) latest State of the Air Report, more than 63 million Americans experience unhealthy spikes in daily particle pollution and more than 20 million Americans experience dangerous levels of this pollution on a year-round basis. And while too many Americans suffer from the effects of soot pollution, it has long been true that certain populations in this country bear a disproportionate share of the burden. Those are low-income communities and communities of color, often because they live near industrial factories or busy highways. A recent study conducted by researchers at the EPA-funded Center for Air, Climate, and Energy Solutions found that the disparity in soot exposure between White Americans and Black, Latino and Asian Americans was consistent across the country, in rural and urban settings, and at all income levels.

Here, in Birmingham, we have seen this play out over decades as we sadly became the epicenter of environmental injustice in America. For too many years, the air and soil in North Birmingham, a largely lower-income, Black neighborhood, was among the most polluted in the country. As recently as 2019 the ALA listed Birmingham as No. 14 on its list of American cities with the highest levels of year-round particulate air pollution. That’s because throughout the 20th century, the city was a major hub for the iron and steel industry, with its many coke plants, steel mills, asphalt plants, coal-fired power plants, metal recycling facilities and pipe manufacturers—all rampant polluters. And almost all, by the way, located near predominantly minority communities.

While there’s been some progress in cleaning Birmingham up, the fight for us, and for Americans everywhere, is not over. Which is why the EPA must step in now. According to a study released in January, had the federal rules for particulate matter pollution been stricter—even lowered to 10 micrograms per cubic meter compared to 12, which is the current allowable yearly average—more than 143,000 deaths of Medicare recipients could have been avoided in the decade between 2006 and 2016.

It’s clearly time to act. Even the EPA’s own Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) agrees the soot standard must be strengthened. Now EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan and President Joe Biden have the opportunity to create stronger, science-based, standards for particulate matter. We urge them to do so immediately. With such action they will ensure cleaner air for families, advance environmental justice and protect our health. Put more simply, they will save lives, thousands of them.

Michael Hansen is the executive director of GASP (Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution)