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41 °F 5 Day Forecast Thursday, December 4, 2003 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | eSouthernOregon | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend November 23, 2003 Industry continues to make strides in reducing pollutants in the valley. Timber Products, for example, recently installed filtration equipment (at left) that will cut its emissions from 100 tons to under 50 tons annually. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Small enough for the nose to filter, big enough to be center of debate By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune How big are the particles being measured in the air pollution debate? They are only 10 microns in size, comparable to mold spores, coal dust, pollens and fertilizer. Generally, anything that spews visible smoke produces particles of this size. By comparison, a human hair is about 70 microns in diameter and the eye of a needle is a massive 1,230 microns. Tobacco smoke is much smaller at .01 to 1 microns, and viruses measure .002 to .3 microns. Pesticides and herbicides are even tinier at .001 microns. Advertisement The nose can filter out particles larger than 10 microns. Particles of 10 microns and smaller, especially fine particles of 2.5 microns, can find their way deep into lungs and cause respiratory problems. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been working on developing a standard to limit particles of 2.5 microns from motor vehicles, power plants, industrial facilities, residential fireplaces and woodstoves. The EPA predicts the new standard could save 15,000 lives, reduce hospital admissions by thousands, reduce the risk of respiratory symptoms in children, and result in thousands fewer cases of child and adult asthma per year. The pollution control measures would cost an estimated $8.6 billion annually. However, the EPA estimates annual savings of health and welfare benefits of between $19 billion and $104 billion in 2010. Other pollutants that the EPA has sought to curtail include carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and sulfur dioxide. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times