Obama tightens US air pollution regulations

President Barack Obama has ordered the tightening of air pollution rules after research found soot particles can be extremely harmful to health.

The Obama administration is to restrict the release of soot from power plants and diesel engines, despite the fact that this could see industry chiefs hit out at the president early in his second term.

These new restrictions, from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have been lobbied against by industry groups and some members of Congress.

However, the minute particles are known to be linked to early death, as well as higher rates of strokes, heart attacks and lung diseases like asthma.

Launching the new rules on Friday (December 14th), the EPA promised:  "Families from around the country will benefit from the simple fact of being able to breathe cleaner air," said Jackson, adding that her two sons suffered from asthma."

Campaigners for clean air welcomed the change, which they said was long overdue, with the American Lung Association saying it was confident the new standard would save lives.

"We know clearly that particle pollution is harmful at levels well below those previously deemed to be safe," it said in a statement.

"By setting a more protective standard, the EPA is stating that we as a nation must protect the health of the public by cleaning up even more of this lethal pollutant."

However, Republican James Inhofe, the Senate's biggest climate change doubter, warned that the new rules were the first of an "onslaught of post-election rulemakings that will place considerable burdens on our struggling economy and eventually push us over the 'regulatory cliff'".

Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute denied the presence of any "compelling scientific evidence" to support this decision.

It said: "The existing standards are working and will continue improving air quality."