EPA Pursues Particulate Matter Standard

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing a particulate matter (PM) standard that will impact U.S. cleaning chemical manufacturers. Following up on plans announced in March, the Trump Administration shared they are actively pursuing revisions to the National Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter (PM2.5), updated by the Biden Administration in 2024. In November, a motion was filed to vacate the standard, claiming the former administration took a “regulatory shortcut” that inhibited the construction of new factories, Yahoo News reports. Manufacturing Dive shares that the court was asked to vacate the standard prior to initial determination due in February.

According to the American Lung Association, PM refers to air pollutants—a mixture of solid and liquid particles in the air. The EPA determined that particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM2.5) are a public health risk. A study investigating the impact of cleaning products on indoor air quality found that long-term exposure to PM from cleaners and disinfectants increased an individual’s risk of respiratory conditions. However, a new rule proposed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin would forgo the economic cost of health resulting from fine particles and ozone regulations, NPR says.

Opposition groups claim the new proposal would radically reduce public health, with Hayden Hashimoto, an attorney at Clean Air Task Force, stating that the current standard avoids thousands of hospital cases, Clean Air Task Force affirms. On the other hand, industry groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), support this motion as they believe the updated standard has hindered operations.