Effects of Diesel and Auto Exhaust

Health Impacts of Air Pollution in California*
(per year)

	Premature Deaths (6,500)
	Hospitalizations (9,000)
	Respiratory Illnesses, including Asthma (1,700,000)
	School Absences (1,300,000)
	Lost Workdays (2,800,000)

* http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/health/fs/PM-03fs.pdf

The lifetime cancer risk from diesel soot in our community exceeds the risk of all other air toxics tracked by EPA combined.

	The average lifetime diesel soot cancer risk for a resident of Riverside County is 1 in 3,658.
	This risk is 273 times greater than EPA's acceptable cancer level of 1 in a million.

Find out how this risk was calculated; understand how your risk might be higher; an explanation of 1-in-a-million acceptable risk

Please visit this website to find out about more risks we already face living in Riverside County:

http://www.catf.us/projects/diesel/dieselhealth/county.php?c=06065&site=0

1,400 truck trips per day (more than 1 a minute) will have to enter and leave the open-pit mine from the Rainbow Valley Boulevard interchange onto Interstate 15.

Diesel exhaust fumes are severe air pollutants and can increase respiratory ailments.

Heavy-laden aggregate trucks will cause damage to our existing, already overburdened roadways, as well as cause damage to our personal vehicles from flying rocks.

There will be a direct increase of truck traffic through our Valley.

Diesel exhaust exposures have been linked to heart (and lung) problems in many research studies. These studies show fairly consistently that higher levels of diesel pollution in the outdoor air is related to higher number of deaths, hospital admissions, heart attacks, and other bad health outcomes. Since these studies base their results on populations (and not individuals), their results say that on average an increase in bad health outcomes may occur for the group that they studied, often a group of people living in a particular city or a group of elderly people.

Premature deaths linked to particulate matter or “PM” are now at levels comparable to deaths from traffic accidents and second-hand smoke (CARB 2002a). One of the most dangerous pollutants, fine particulate matter (e.g., from diesel exhaust and fireplace soot) not only bypasses the body’s defense mechanisms and becomes embedded in the deepest recesses of the lung, but also can disrupt cellular processes. Population-based studies in hundreds of cities in the U.S. and around the world have demonstrated a strong link between elevated particulate levels and premature deaths, hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and asthma attacks. Groundbreaking long-term studies of children’s health conducted in California have demonstrated that particle pollution may significantly reduce lung function growth in children (Peters et al. 1999, Avol et al. 2001, Gauderman et al. 2002).

Summary of the Health Effects of Air Pollution

Particulate Matter* Health Effects

Ground-level Ozone** Health Effects

	Aggravated asthma
	Increased respiratory symptoms
	Chronic bronchitis
	Increased respiratory & cardiovascular hospitalizations
	Decreased lung function in children
	Lung cancer
	Premature deaths

	Aggravated asthma & possibly new cases of asthma
	Reduced lung capacity
	Increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses
	Increased respiratory & cardiovascular hospitalizations

*What is particulate matter?

Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) is comprised of solid particles or liquid droplets tiny enough to remain suspended or floating in the air for up to weeks at a time. Of greatest concern to the public health are the particles small enough to be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lung. These particles are less than 10 microns in diameter--about 1/7th the thickness of a human hair--and are known as PM10. This includes fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. PM2.5 has a specific range of particles 2.5 micrometers or less. PM10 is a major component of air pollution that threatens both our health and our environment. General PM composition can include everything from fine dust to carbon (soot), and can be microscopic or visible to the naked eye. Particulate matter is generated from a variety of sources including traffic on paved and unpaved roads, combustion, and earth-moving activity such as mining, farming and construction.

**What is ozone?

Ozone (O3) is a highly reactive form of oxygen. At normal concentrations it is colorless and odorless. At high concentrations (often associated with thunderstorms or arching electric motors) it is an unstable bluish gas with a pungent odor. Ozone is a major component of photochemical smog, although the visibility reduction and odor resulting from smog are produced by other pollutants such as particulates and nitrogen oxides. Ground level ozone in high concentrations is considered an air pollutant, while stratospheric ozone in the upper atmosphere (12 - 30 miles above the ground) is critical for absorbing cancer-causing ultraviolet radiation.

Where does ozone come from?

Ozone is a secondary pollutant formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds (VOC) react in the presence of sunlight. Volatile organic compounds come from automobile exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents (and also some vegetation). Nitrogen oxides come from burning fuel.

How does ozone affect human health?

The reactivity of ozone causes health problems because it damages lung tissue, reduces lung function, and increases the sensitivity of the lungs to other irritants. Symptoms of decreased lung function include chest pain, coughing, sneezing and pulmonary congestion. Ozone can also act as an irritant to the mucous membranes of the eyes and throat and can reduce immune system capacity. In high concentrations, ozone causes damage to plants and deteriorates materials such as rubber and nylon.

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Negative Effects of Diesel & Auto Exhaust