In December 1970, President Richard Nixon signed the Clean Air Act into law, setting forth federal guidelines for power plants and other industrial facilities in order to control air pollution. This December marks the 35th anniversary of the law -- and an opportunity to reflect on its successes and failures.

Without a doubt, the Clean Air Act has made America a cleaner, healthier place. Despite 35 years of rapid economic expansion, levels of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead and other pollutants have decreased, showing growth and environmental protections aren't mutually exclusive.

Catawba Valley could be off EPA's sanction lists in 2008
LENOIR - The 10 Catawba Valley governments that banded together three years ago to improve air quality have adopted policies that lay out their methods to save energy and reduce emissions.
Caldwell County, which adopted its policy Dec. 19, was the last, said Ron Hancock, a Western Piedmont Council of Governments planner advising the governments on conservation and air-quality issues.
Many of the plan's measures -- installation of low-energy lighting systems and proper insulation in county buildings, for example -- are things the county and its fellow governments have been doing for the past five years, since the state and federal governments began warning them about poor air quality.

(Washington, D.C. -- Friday, December 23, 2005) In light of a recent court opinion, EPA is reconsidering an additional aspect of its Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). CAIR requires 28 States and the District of Columbia to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) from power plants. Today's action will not delay implementation of the rule, which will achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade. EPA issued the final CAIR on March 10, 2005.

EPA has decided to grant an industry petition asking EPA to reconsider and provide an opportunity for public comment on an additional issue related to the CAIR. The petition asks EPA to examine the impact of a recent D.C. Circuit Court decision, New York v. EPA, 413 F.3d 3 (D.C. Cir. 2005), on analyses used in developing CAIR to identify highly cost-effective emissions reductions.

(Washington, D.C.-Dec. 21, 2005) The United States has reached a settlement with DaimlerChrysler Corporation (Chrysler) to repair defective emission controls on nearly 1.5 million Jeep and Dodge vehicles from model years 1996 through 2001, the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The agreement also settles allegations that the company violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) by failing to properly disclose defective catalytic converters installed on the affected vehicles. In settlement, Chrysler has agreed to:

Extend the warranty on the catalytic converters installed on approximately 700,000 of the vehicles involved, and for another 300,000 vehicle owners, send notification of the catalytic converter problem which will be covered under the original emissions system warranty under the CAA;

To accomplish goals as diverse as preventing the transmission of the avian flu virus to curing athlete's foot, Cupron, a small American company with a research base in Israel, has developed a valuable new technology out of a very old element - copper oxide.

Copper's anti-microbial properties have been known for more than 5,000 years. Ancient Egyptians used copper pipes to transport water safe of parasites; shipbuilders used copper to keep algae from encrusting ships, and French vintners use copper to fight fungus on grapevines.

Cupron decided to take the uses one step further and introduce copper into clothing and textiles, that, according to the company, will lead to healthier living.

Marlon D. Ludovice
One of the main causes of sinus infection is cause and triggered by a polluted air that we breathe. Almost every corner of the space we move in is affected and was contaminated by air pollutants that in serious cases can contain harsh elements that can give a greater possibility of causing sinus infection. Even offices, motels, restaurants and shops including apartments, warehouses, laboratories, dark rooms and production areas is not anymore a pollutant free. But now devices are invented to help you control some of those elements that pollute the air. Especially made to prevent sinus infection problems, the following are beneficial devices.

Lesley Dietschy
Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy or unhealthy? While the concept of a healthy home may be new to some of us, it is steadily gaining popularity with homeowners. A healthy home can include a number of elements from building materials used to construct your home to using non-toxic cleaning products. Below is a list of five ways to assist you in creating a healthy home environment.

1. Clean Air and Circulation:

Here are some little known facts from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about the air inside many of today's homes:

• Indoor air pollutant levels may be two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.
  

Ed Bishop
Air purifier filters are not always the answer to air quality problems.

Solving the problem is a much better approach than masking the symptom.

The following are the basic approaches to improve indoor air quality:

1. Eliminate or control the pollutant source.
2. Dilution of the contaminants through ventilation.
3. Removal or reduction of the contaminants through filtration or purification with the use of air purifier filters or air purifiers.

Proper ventilation in a building is a must!

Before the energy crunch in the 1970's, fresh air in buildings was not really an issue.

(Washington, D.C.-Dec. 9, 2005) Based on recent analyses of health risks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a rule to reduce emissions of perchloroethylene (perc) from dry cleaners.

"Risks from most dry cleaners across the country generally are low, and our proposed requirements would make them even lower," said Bill Wehrum, acting assistant administrator for air and radiation. "But based on what we now know about the risks from perc dry cleaners, a small group of dry cleaners located in apartment buildings requires closer examination. We are asking the public for additional information that could help us develop strategies to reduce these risks more quickly."

Considering the amount of irritants that are present in the air today, those who suffer from allergies and other breathing disorders are challenged to find effective ways to clean the air that they breathe within their home environment.

Not so many years ago, this simply meant making sure that the house was dusted regularly and that pets were bathed and brushed outdoors as often as possible, in order to cut down on the most common allergy inducing factors. Today, there's far more at stake, when we consider the types of contaminants that are present in our environment as a result of pollution. Bigger challenges, then, require better tools for providing a solution enter, the air purifier.