Air Watch: Tom Frantz's Words and Pictures Have Led to Better Air Standards, but More Work is Needed
Tom Frantz has lived his whole life in California's Central Valley, where the small farms of his boyhood have given way to modern day mega-farms. The pollution from the farms combines with the area's other industries - oil, waste disposal, and trucking - to form some of the worst air pollution in America. It should come as no surprise that the area also has some of America's worst fine particle pollution as well.
For the past decade, Tom has been documenting pollution sources with his camera. In the winter, when PM2.5 levels dramatically increase, Tom can be found taking pictures and video of big agriculture operations, industrial facilities and other major polluters.
His words and pictures have led to improvements in air quality—improvements that the EPA can further increase by strengthening fine particle air pollution standards.
Tom, like millions of other citizens across America, is sick of soot. It's time for the EPA to act.
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