China's Grime Belt Air Pollution

California Air Resources Board Meeting Webcast

On the Agenda today: Health Update: Environmental Justice, Air Pollution, and Health, Alternative Fuels >>

I like riding the ferry BUT...

A plume of deadly diesel exhaust pours from the Blue and Gold Fleet Ferry service to Oakland Alameda. They do not use diesel particulate filters and the ferry manager said they do not have any plans to install them. An average of 900 people ride the ferry every day, including school children. The people who work on the ferry get the most exposure to it.

The company received roughly $1.5 million in Carl Moyer grant funding from Bay Area Air-Quality Management in 2006, including $677,531 for this vessel to be upgraded. They also raised their ticket prices for capital improvements. It seems that the vessel just "goes in for service" often, but no long-term air quality improvements are made. I usually enjoy riding the ferry, and the service and people who work there are great, but what's the point when you can't breathe fresh air? What is also concerning is that B&G claim to be clean, green and environmentally sound. I don't see any "green waves" here, do you?

I am looking forward to when this is really a clean, green commute. Until then, I think I WILL hold my breath.

Check out the California Air Resources Board, and the Clean Air Task Force public health information about Diesel Exhaust, which causes cancer and other health problems contributing to thousands of premature deaths per year.

Tags: air-pollution commute ferry transportation diesel san-francisco alameda oakland california

Fuel Spill - No Fishing

Fuel Spill Closes San Francisco Beaches >>


No Fishing
Originally uploaded by luxomedia

Bunker Fuel causes cancer. Do not get this stuff on your skin!

Fuel Spills Everyday from Container Ships...Into the Air >>

Most Polluted Air - Top Ten Cities 2007

Here are the top ten cities most polluted by short-term particle pollution according the the American Lung Associations "State of the Air 2007" Report.

1 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA
2 Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA
3 Fresno-Madera, CA
4 Bakersfield, CA
5 Logan, UT-ID
6 Birmingham-Hoover-Cullman, AL
7 Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield, UT
8 Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI
9 Eugene-Springfield, OR
10 Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH

San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose region are in the top 20 at #15. We can do better.

California has to be at the frontlines of this issue, because we have the worst air in the nation.

Governor sues EPA for failing to act on California’s Tailpipe Emissions Request >>

The National Center for Atmospheric Research analyzed the emissions and estimated that the fires emitted 7.9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from Oct. 19-26, the equivalent of about 25 percent of the average monthly emissions from all fossil fuel burning in the entire state of California.

Particulate Matter Pollution is not just a global warming issue, it's an immediate danger to our health. It can contribute to diseases such as cancer, asthma and bronchitis. We respond and take urgent action against things like the recent fuel spill, but what about the air we breathe everyday?

Dirty Diesel

70% of Cancer Risk comes from Diesel Exhaust

No Escape from Diesel Exhaust.Fine particulate matter pollution in the air is responsible for at least 70,000 deaths a year...Studies throughout the world show that people who live or work around diesel engines are at highest risk. But what about the rest of us? Exposure studies suggest that commuters on busy roadways, on diesel transit buses, and on commuter trains receive above-average exposures to fine particles. Studies by California Air Resources Board (CARB) researchers estimate that during the relatively small part of the day when we are in our vehicles, we experience over half of our exposures to ultrafine particles and black carbon.

Diesel Exhaust =Toxic Emissions

American Lung Association of California