WHAT
IS GOVERNMENT DOING?
• Diesel engines are a durable and economical source of power.
EPA and the New England States are taking important steps
to advance cleaner diesel engines.
• EPA set strict emissions standards for new heavy-duty
diesel trucks and buses. The introduction of ultra-low sulfur
diesel fuel in October 2006 reduced sulfur content in diesel
fuel by 97 percent. This cleaner burning fuel in combination
with advanced pollution control technology means that model
year 2007 and newer trucks and buses are as much as 95
percent cleaner than older trucks and buses.
• EPA has issued emission standards for new, non-road diesel
engines, such as construction and farm equipment, and is working
to strengthen these standards in the future.
• Because emission reductions from cleaner vehicles take time to
have an influence, EPA and the New England states are working to:
1 Retrofit existing diesel vehicles with pollution controls.
2. Implement emission testing programs for diesel vehicles.
3 Create and implement anti-idling programs.
4 Promote cleaner fuels like compressed natural gas.
EPA Standards for New Trucks and Buses
Nitrogen Oxides Particulate Matter
emissions
emissions
1984 10.7 j
1991 5 ,
1994 5
1998 4 .
2004 2
2007 0.2
1984 , 0.6
1991
1994
0.25 ,
0.10
1998 0.10
2004 „.,„
2007 0.01
EPA's emission standards for trucks and buses are based on the amount of pollution
emitted per unit of energy (expressed in grams per brake horsepower hour).
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
#EPA 901-F-07-002
April 2007
Visit our website at
www.epa.qov/ne/topics/air/dieselexhausthtml
t printed on 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of
50% post consumer waste, using vegetable-based inks
IESEL
EXHAUST IN
NEW ENGLAND
WHAT ARE THE
HEALTH EFFECTS?
WHO IS AT RISK?
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
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OWNERS/
OPERATORS
DO?
1 Turn off engines
when vehicles are not
in motion.
2 Retrofit engines
with pollution control
devices and use
cleaner burning fuel.
3 When purchasing
new vehicles, buy
the lowest emitting
vehicles available.
4 Keep engines
well tuned and
maintained.
5 For more details
about how to take
these steps, visit:
www.epa.gov/ne/
eco/diesel/, or call
1-800-821-1237.
DIESEL EXHAUST
& YOUR HEALTH
• Diesel exhaust contains
significant levels of small
particles known as fine
participate matter. Fine
particles are so small that
several thousand of them
could fit in the period at
the end of this sentence.
In New England, diesel engines
are the third largest human-made
source of fine particles, contrib-
uting more than 20 percent of fine
particle emissions.
Fine particles in the air are a
serious public health problem.
They pose a significant health risk
because they can pass through
the nose and throat and lodge
themselves in the lungs. These
fine particles can cause lung
damage and premature death.
They can also aggravate respir-
atory conditions such as asthma
and bronchitis.
Nationwide, particulate matter,
especially fine particles, is
responsible for 15,000 premature
deaths every year.
Also, diesel exhaust is likely to
cause cancer in humans.
Who is most at Risk?
• People with existing heart or lung
disease, asthma or other respira-
tory problems are most sensitive
to the health effects of fine
particles. The elderly and children
are also at risk.
• In general, children are more
sensitive to air pollution because
they breathe at a faster rate
than adults.
Other Health and
Environmental Effects
• Fine particles from diesel engines contribute to haze which
restricts our ability to see long distances.
• Diesel exhaust also contributes to ozone formation (or smog),
acid rain, and global climate change.
REDUCING EMISSIONS
Idl ing
• A typical heavy-duty truck or bus can burn approximately
one gallon of diesel fuel for each hour it idles, generating
significant amounts of pollution, wasting fuel, and causing
excessive engine wear.
• Instead of idling, vehicle owners can purchase small
generators or auxiliary power units that provide heat,
air conditioning, and/or power while a vehicle is not in
motion. These devices substantially reduce the fuel
consumed and emissions generated during long-
duration idling.
• Also, vehicle owners can purchase electric starting aids
such as block heaters which help warm the engine to avoid
starting difficulties and reduce idling time during engine
warm-up.
Retrofits and Cleaner Fuels
• In October 2006, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel was made
available nationwide for on-road vehicles. This cleaner
burning fuel, in combination with advanced pollution
control equipment such as particulate matter filters, can
reduce particulate matter emissions from existing trucks
and buses by more than 90 percent.
• Biodiesel, a renewable fuel produced from agricultural
resources such as vegetable oils, can be blended with
ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel to provide a renewable alter-
native fuel option to conventional diesel fuel.
New Vehicle
Purchases -
what to consider
• Vehicles manufactured in 2007
and beyond.
• Vehicles equipped with devices
that minimize idling and warm-
up time automatically.
•I!
Vehicles that run on cleaner fuels I ike compressed natural gas.
•
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