Lung Health News, Spring / Summer 2000
Smoke-spewing diesel transit buses must be replaced with buses powered by alternative fuels or less-polluting diesel technology under a new regulation passed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in February. And while the American Lung Association of California was hoping the new regulations would do more to phase out the use of diesel fuel, it supports any measures that will help reduce deadly diesel exhaust.
"The rule did not go as far as we would have liked, but it is a step forward," says Bonnie Holmes-Gen, assistant vice president of Government Relations for the American Lung Association of California. "The bottom line is, we're going to have significant reductions in diesel pollution, which is the top item on our agenda because of the public health dangers."
CARB listed diesel particulates as toxic in 1998 after an exhaustive review of scientific literature indicated that exposure to diesel exhaust increased the risk of developing lung cancer. Diesel exhaust also contributes to asthma and other lung diseases.
The transit bus rule requires transit agencies statewide to purchase lower-polluting vehicles by 2010 and is the first in the nation to mandate that transit buses pollute less. But the lung association and other environmental groups are concerned that the new rule allows dirty diesels to remain on the road too long even though cleaner natural gas buses are available today and are used in many areas, including Los Angeles.
The American Lung Association of California joined the Coalition for Clean Air, Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, and other environmental groups in urging CARB to adopt tough new standards to reduce diesel exhaust.
