The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has made significant amendments to Jamaica’s Natural Resources Conservation (Ambient Air Quality Standards Amendment) 2024, aimed at better safeguarding human health and the environment from the harmful effects of air pollution.

The updated regulations, gazetted in 2024, mark the first major revision since the standards were introduced in 1996.

Jody-Ann Marston, manager for NEPA’s Air Quality Management Branch, emphasised the critical importance of clean air.

“The air we breathe is essential for life and a healthy environment. We inhale approximately ½ litre of air each time we take a normal resting breath, and that air contains oxygen, which is vital for bodily functions,” she explained.

Marston added that “it also contains carbon dioxide, which supports plant life and the water cycle, but air can also contain polluting substances. When these substances exceed acceptable levels then we have what is called air pollution”.

In her presentation, she referenced the 2024 State of the Global Air Report which ranked “air pollution as the second leading risk factor for death worldwide. It is also a major contributor to the ‘triple planetary crisis’ of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, with associated health costs amounting to approximately six per cent of global gross domestic product annually”.

In response to the global call for action at the Sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), Jamaica conducted a comprehensive technical review of its standards.

“The updated regulations now include a new pollutant metric, PM₂.₅, representing microscopic particles 2.5 micrometres in diameter or smaller, which pose one of the most serious health risks due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream,” Marston said.

“The amendments also feature tighter limits for several other criteria air pollutants, including PM₁₀ (inhalable particulate matter with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and ground-level ozone (O₃), better aligning Jamaica’s air quality goals with World Health Organization (WHO) benchmarks,” she added.

Marston informed that the strengthened standards are expected to lead to “improvement in public health, a reduction in pollution-related illnesses, and greater protection for ecosystems and biodiversity”.

The economic benefits are also expected to be significant, with enhanced productivity and a reduced burden on the healthcare system.

To support the new standards, the NEPA representative shared that “the agency has installed eleven PM₂.₅ monitoring stations across the island, significantly expanding its national air quality monitoring network”.

This enhanced capacity will help ensure compliance, inform policy decisions, and raise public awareness about the state of Jamaica’s air quality.