DIESEL 101: Diesel Pollution and Impacts

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DIESEL 101Diesel Pollution and Impacts

• Meena Palaniappan
• Senior Research Associate
• Pacific Institute
• Oakland, California
• www.pacinst.org

Ditching Dirty Diesel A Bay-Area-Wide
Convening on Diesel Pollution, Asthma, and EJ
Public Health Strategies for Cleaning the Air in
Our Communities
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Diesel Pollution Sources

• Emitted by all engines that burn diesel fuel
• Mobile Sources Trucks, Buses, Ships,
  Locomotives, Ships, Construction Equipment
• Stationary Sources Generators, Compressors, Pumps

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Diesel Pollution Composition

• Diesel exhaust is composed of a mixture of gases,
  liquids and solid particles
• Criteria pollutants Carbon Monoxide (CO),
  unburned fuel, smog forming pollutants such as
  Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)
• Global warming gases Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
• Carcinogens Formaldehyde, benzene
• Other exhaust products Water
• Particulate matter Soot, absorbed gases, ash

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Diesel Pollution in the Bay Area

• Every day, diesel sources are responsible for
• 2/3 of the fine particulate from mobile sources
  in the region
• 40 of the smog forming pollutants from mobile
  sources in the region
• Furthermore, each diesel vehicle is much more
  polluting than gasoline vehicles
• A diesel vehicle can produce 100 times more soot
  than a comparable gasoline vehicle

Bay Area Fine Particulate Matter Mobile Source
Inventory
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Diesel Particulate Matter

• Diesel Particulate Matter is a toxic air
  contaminant according to the Air Resources Board
• No safe level of exposure
• Most particles are smaller than 1 micron
• Human hair is about 75 microns in diameter.
• The smallest particles can carry toxic chemicals
  deep into lungs and even directly into bloodstream

Diesel Particles by Electronic Microscope
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Why is Diesel So Polluting?

• Diesel engines were regulated much later than
  other sources of pollution
• Diesel trucks and equipment built before 1988 do
  not have to meet any diesel particulate matter
  regulations

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How is Diesel Pollution Distributed in the Bay
Area?

• Historical patterns of where highways and
  industry are located
• I-580 and I-880
• Transportation technology choices
• All transit agencies in the Bay Area chose the
  Diesel Path
• Long haul trucking focus on lower fuel cost

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How is Diesel Pollution Distributed in the Bay
Area?
Bay Area Map generated by ARB CHAPIS
http//www.arb.ca.gov/gismo/chapis_v01_6_1_04/
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How is Diesel Pollution Distributed in the Bay
Area?

• Indoor air monitoring found five times more
  diesel soot inside homes in West Oakland compared
  to homes in other parts of Oakland
• Preliminary results show that there might be 5 to
  6 times more Diesel PM emitted in West Contra
  Costa County compared to the County Average

Comparison of Diesel PM emissions per person in
West Oakland
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The Good News Is

• Environmental Justice and Environmental Health
  organizations throughout the Bay Area are coming
  together to begin to address this problem
• There are many solutions and strategies that we
  will explore together today

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• Meena Palaniappan
• Senior Research Associate
• Pacific Institute
• Oakland, California
• www.pacinst.org

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Photo Credits

• Tugboat www.gatewayt.com
• Bulldozer menardbros.tripod.com/ equipment.htm
• Diesel PM www.transportation.anl.gov/
  publications/trans...
• Diesel PM diesel.netian.com/ emission1.htm
• Smoking Diesel UCS