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.

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.

• The new CATF commuter report
• NJ's county by county diesel health risk data (2005)NJ's county by county diesel health risk data (2005)
• 2006 report, Diesel Hot Spots: A Snapshot of Newark, New Jersey - Finding a Path towards Kids Clean Air Zones
• Kids Clean Air Zones power point

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.