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Business Week looks at the Environmental Protection Agency pollution standards that set limits on "microscopic particles floating in the air that come from combustion of fuels" and will go into effect in about 2007. The story finds that officials' expectations that the rules will prevent 15,000 premature deaths a year may be lacking sound scientific support. The report cites studies that reveal clear link between air pollution and mortality. It also points to opposing analyses, which usually appear "where industry leaders claim the standards would cost hundreds of billions of dollars." "The fine-particle debate illustrates the core conundrum of regulation - how to make sound public policy amid uncertainty," reports Business Week.

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