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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