U.S. EPA Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards

Publication

The Plain English Guide To The Clean Air Act

Why should you be concerned about air pollution?

Air pollution can make you sick. It can cause burning eyes and nose and an itchy, irritated throat, as well as trouble in breathing. Some chemicals found in polluted air cause cancer, birth defects, brain and nerve damage and long-term injury to the lungs and breathing passages. Some air pollutants are so dangerous that accidental releases can cause serious injury or even death.

Air pollution can damage the environment. Trees, lakes and animals have been harmed by air pollution. Air pollutants have thinned the protective ozone layer above the Earth; this loss of ozone could cause changes in the environment as well as more skin cancer and cataracts (eye damage) in people.

Air pollution can damage property. It can dirty buildings and other structures. Some common pollutants eat away stone, damaging buildings, monuments and statues.

Air pollution can cause haze, reducing visibility in national parks and sometime interfering with aviation.

The Clean Air Act will improve air quality in the United States, a good thing for your health, your property and the environment. The 1990 Act[1] could change the way you work or do business, and it could, in some ways, change the way you live. The 1990 Clean Air Act is lengthy--about 800 pages--because it tackles many difficult and complicated air pollution problems.

[1] The 1990 Clean Air Act is the most recent version of a law first passed in 1970. The 1990 amendments made major changes in the Clean Air Act. This summary covers some of the important provisions of the 1990 Clean Air Act.

We have prepared this summary of the 1990 version of the Clean Air Act because we think everyone should understand what is in the law and how it may effect them.

This summary is only a brief introduction to the 1990 Clean Air Act. If you want more information, please contact your regional office of the Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) or your state, city, regional, or local air pollution control agency.