| NCCo flunks federal test for fine soot pollution
By Jeff Montgomery, The News Journal
New Castle County was formally listed today as one of 211 counties nationwide now flunking a daily federal standard for fine soot pollution.
The designation, long anticipated by Delaware officials, appeared on an Environmental Protection Agency listing of 25 states and tribal regions unable to meet the agency’s “PM 2.5” target. The listing refers to pollution from particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller, or about 1/30th the width of a human hair.
The EPA tightened fine soot standards in 2006, dropping targets from an average 24-hour concentration of 65 micrograms to 35 micrograms. Health officials consider the fine particles a special concern, because they can be drawn deeply into the lungs.
Sources of fine soot include diesel exhausts and industrial smokestacks. The pollutants also can form in the air as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react.
Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control earlier this month petitioned the EPA to take action against out-of-state power plants contributing to the state’s ozone and soot problems. DNREC officials said cross-border pollution can account for more than a third of New Castle County’s ozone levels on hot summer days.
All three Delaware counties now exceed the EPA’s ozone, or smog, standard.
EPA rules generally set a 2012 deadline for submission of plans to meet the fine soot standard, and a 2014 deadline for compliance.
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Drinking alcohol in Kentucky is considered being "sober" until you cannot hold on to the ground. | 
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