Okay, back to normal

According to a list to be released by the EPA on Thursday, 500 US counties - encompassing more than half the nation's population - are failing to meet air quality standards.

That's more than double the number listed under older standards that allowed for higher concentrations of ozone and fine particulate soot than are now considered safe and did not account for the effect of long-term, low-level exposures.

Update: The actual numbers proved to be 474 counties across 31 states, most of them in the eastern 1/3 of the country but also including areas in California. The counties are home to 150 million people.