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Vehicle Exhaust Effects

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Summary of findings
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Resulting Legislation

An Act Prohibiting the Idling of Motor Vehicles

Introduction

Most people assume that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sufficiently protecting air quality by setting limits for chemicals released from vehicles, requiring newer engines to be less polluting, and restricting levels normally found in outdoor air. It is clear, however, that these efforts are not enough to protect health, as they limit only a small percentage of all chemicals that are emitted from engines, leaving hundreds of pollutants unmonitored and unregulated. While the government monitors pollutants at fixed stations, these measurements bear little resemblance to the pollution you and your family experience while moving through daily life. EPA also requires that measured concentrations of regulated pollutants be averaged over long periods of time to determine compliance with standards. Particulate matter, for example, is averaged over three years, and this practice masks high-pollution episodes of short duration that can damage health.

Although we have grown to accept the smell of engine exhaust as a part of everyday life, our nation is experiencing an epidemic of illnesses made worse by air pollution. Over the past ten years, hundreds of studies have been published in the peer-reviewed literature demonstrating special vulnerability to air pollution among those with serious illnesses, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and lung cancer. Tens of millions of Americans suffer from these illnesses. Children, the elderly, those with compromised immune systems, and those with specific genetic traits are at special risk. We estimate that hundreds of thousands of Connecticut’s residents are at heightened risk due to these background illnesses. During the past decade, scientists have also confirmed a relationship between two forms of pollution—ozone and particulate matter—and increased rates of mortality, especially among those with cardiovascular disease. These studies are reviewed and summarized in the report that follows.

Connecticut’s air quality is exceptionally poor. Polluted air flows into the state from densely populated areas in the Northeast Corridor and the Midwest. In addition, Connecticut residents now drive 31 billion miles in three million vehicles each year. Vehicle use is the largest contributor to the state’s air pollution problem, although power plant emissions, heating fuel combustion, and industrial wastes also contribute to our pollution burden. Several billion gallons of fuel are burned in the state each year, and the amount consumed is increasing. Heavy truck traffic is also increasing, and older diesel engines are especially polluting. Diesel engines have exceptionally long life spans—often several millions of miles for long distance trucks—and engines are commonly rebuilt. This means that we cannot rely on improvements in new engine design to solve the problem, since the current fleet will remain on the road for a decade or more. Fuels burned in the state release hazardous pollutants each year into the air in close proximity to residential, occupational, educational and recreational facilities.

The dirtiest part of the day for many children is the bus ride to and from school as they sit in a string of cars and buses, often in rush hour traffic. The problem is especially severe where major highways intersect with urban centers such as New Haven, Hartford, Bridgeport and Stamford. Connecticut’s air pollution levels violate the federal Clean Air Act standards for both particulate matter and ozone. Both forms of pollution are produced from fuel combustion, and even the current limits are not sufficient to protect human health. The particulate problem is most severe in the southwestern part of the state, due to population density, traffic intensity, and proximity to the New York metropolitan area. New engine designs to reduce emissions have been overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of vehicles, and the increasing miles traveled per vehicle per year. Connecticut is also the nation’s fourth-highest consumer of home heating oil, which is nearly identical to diesel fuel used for transport. More heating oil is consumed per square mile in Connecticut than in any other state.

Most of Connecticut’s growth during the past 50 years has occurred in suburban and rural regions, increasing the population’s dependence on personal vehicles. More than three million vehicles are registered in a state with only 3.5 million residents. Many people assume that their individual contributions are insignificant, yet the collective effect is damaging to health. The costs of medical care for pollution-aggravated illness fall disproportionately on the poor, since they are less likely to be under the routine care of a physician to prevent severe attacks that often require hospitalization.

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