What is an "emission standard"?

What is an "emission standard"?

Terry Tamminen (Author & Environmental Policy Advisor) gives expert video advice on: Is there a correlation between smog and human disease? and more...

Emission standards are set by regulatory agencies around the world. In the United States, it's the US EPA, and then state EPAs or regulatory agencies. It's a standard that says, "We want to reduce a particular pollutant below a level that has an observed health effect." We know that certain concentrations of various things are in the air. Some occur naturally and they're not particularly harmful to humans. So, we want to make sure that any emissions that are created by humans and regulated by humans are below those health protective thresholds.