By EPA’s own data, since 1980, carbon monoxide, lead, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide levels have dropped an average of 84 percent. Even the EPA’s new villain, ozone, has dropped 29% in the same time period. One has to ask, since air pollution has dropped so dramatically since 1980, why are asthma cases increasing? Cynically, you could say there is an inverse relationship between asthma and air pollution. I don’t think this is the case. More likely it appears that other factors, such as the redefinition of what asthma is, are more important than air pollution.

The columnist also ties “our increasingly ferocious and frequent wildfire season” with decreasing air quality. The truth is the EPA says air quality is improving and while 50 million acres burned per year in the 1930s it is now about 10 million acres per year. This data is not hard to find even though governmental officials have removed wild fire burn date prior to 1983 from official websites.

We are reaching the point of diminishing return when it comes to air quality improvement, After all, the EPA will always be able to designate a new substance as dangerous or reduce the acceptable level of existing pollutants forever and demand more controls.

Let’s seek the truth.

Kelly Sheehan, Arvada