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Press Release:

National Report Reveals No Escape for Commuters from Diesel Danger

Given traffic conditions, NJ suburbs and highways near New York and Philly particularly hard hit

Newark, NJ - Diesel fumes pose a major health risk to commuters, according to a new report released today by the New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF), Newark Municipal Council President Mildred Crump, Irvington Mayor Wayne Smith (President of Urban Mayors Association), Assemblyman William Payne, Ironbound Community Corporation and Weequahic Park Association.

The report, produced by the national non-profit Clean Air Task Force (CATF), a Boston-based environmental research group, shows that even though we spend only a tiny portion (6%) of our day commuting, it's during the commute that we receive more than half (60%) of our overall exposure to deadly fine particle pollution.

Sprawl

New Jersey is one of the biggest commuter and trade corridors on the East Coast whether you are traveling by train, bus, or car on the NJ Turnpike, Interstate 295, 78, 80, Rte 17, 70,73,30 or local roads.

"Exposure to diesel exhaust during commutes poses a serious public health risk that can and must be fixed," said Kim Gaddy, Environmental Justice Organizer of NJEF. "There is no excuse for this exposure when ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) became readily available last year and diesel particulate filters can reduce 85% or more of the tailpipe pollution. While new diesel vehicles are fully equipped, filters should be installed on older models wherever possible and as quickly as possible."

Fine particle pollution, including diesel exhaust, can cause lung cancer, stroke, heart attack and infant death. It also triggers asthma attacks and makes people more likely to become allergic. According to CATF calculations based on USEPA methodologies, New Jersey ranked #2 in the nation in cancers and #4 in non-cancer ailments related to diesel exposure.

An earlier 2005 Clean Air Task Force report estimated diesel pollution results in 880 premature deaths, over 1,382 heart attacks, 17,926 asthma attacks and 107,364 Work Loss Days each year in NJ. Hudson, Camden Mercer, Bergen, Union and Essex County ranked the top worst counties (#1-6 respectively) in the state for diesel related cancer risk [See detailed county by county health impacts chart.(pdf)] "As bad as NJ's air is, it's even worse inside the commuter vehicles that we inhabit only 6% of the time, yet receive 60% of our daily diesel dosage. This could be making us even sicker than we thought possible, " said Ms. Gaddy.

CATF specifically investigated diesel exhaust levels during commutes in New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Austin, TX and Columbus, OH. The Task Force documented diesel particle levels four to eight times higher inside commuter cars, buses, and trains than in the ambient outdoor air in those cities.

"Our investigation demonstrated that you may be exposed to high levels of diesel particles whether you commute by car, bus, ferry, train, or on foot," said Bruce Hill, CATF Senior Scientist and the Principal Investigator on the study. "By contrast, pollution levels were negligible for commuters in and near vehicles with modern pollution controls or those run on lower-polluting fuels such as natural gas.

NJ's cities and commuter networks are likely to produce the same results given the region's truck, bus and train volumes. According to a 2006 NJEF report, a typical Newark truck corridor carried 250-300 trucks per hours (up to 5 per minute). See website below for locations and curbside diesel pollution levels recorded during this study.

"Newark residents can not escape the diesel exhaust and related health impacts whether they walk, bus, train or ride in a car," stated Assemblyman William Payne. "This is an environmental injustice and burden that state government bears every day with the mounting healthcare costs of diesel related ailments like asthma. "This impact is being felt no matter where you live along the New York to Philly traffic corridor - from Bergen to Gloucester County."

According to UMDNJ, 12% of NJ's managed health care costs are asthma related. Asthma rates for children in NJ's cities are estimated at 25%. It is the leading cause of school absenteeism, requiring caregivers to stay home from work if they are not having a respiratory episode themselves.

"Newark will being enforcing a newly proposed 'no idling' ordinance but lacks the resources to retrofit," explained Newark Council President Mildred Crump. "If the port is going to expand in the near future, bringing an economic boost to the region, then we need to take aggressive measures to reduce the impacts caused by more diesel vehicles being on our roads. We're glad the state passed the 2005 diesel law, but it does not go far enough fast enough for hot spots like Newark. Federal programs and funding are needed given the magnitude of its impact on our neighborhoods and residents."

The 2005 federal Transportation Bill (SAFETEA-LU) included $8.6 billion for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) projects. Additionally, the 2005 federal Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) authorized up to $200 million a year over five years to pay for the cost of diesel retrofits. To date, Congress has failed to appropriate the DERA money.

NJEF, local elected officials and community groups have also called on the governor to focus efforts on diesel "hot spots" like Newark where highway, rail and bus hubs all converge onto local roads. NJEF, local elected officials and community groups joined others nationwide in urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to require that long-haul trucks clean up when their engines are rebuilt. They also urged the USEPA to move ahead with plans to set new pollution standards for diesel trains and diesel-powered boats, including commuter ferries.

"Implementing these comprehensive measures at all levels of government means that my three asthmatic children will breathe a little easier and reduce their visits to the emergency room," concluded Ms. Gaddy of NJEF.

Pertinent Websites and pages:

Founded in 1996, the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) (www.catf.us) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring clean air and healthy environments through scientific research, public education, and legal advocacy. CATF's staff includes scientists, engineers, economists, MBAs and lawyers. The organization works closely with more than 40 state, local, regional and national groups to educate the public, media, industry and public decision makers on the science and economics of clean air policies through fact-based and locally appropriate advocacy.

The New Jersey Environmental Federation (NJEF) (www.cleanwateraction.org/njef), the NJ chapter of national Clean Water Action, is a non-profit, action-oriented organization with nearly 100,000 individual members and over 100 environmental, community, religious, labor and student member groups. NJEF works to protect the environment, public health, economic well-being and quality of life in our communities. NJEF has had many landmark victories during its 25 year history.