Forwarded:

> From Environmental Defense Thursday, July 12, 2001
>
> NEW YORK -- (12 July, 2001 -- New York) Nationwide, exhaust from
> diesel engines accounts for 78% of the total added cancer risk in
> outdoor air from all hazardous air pollutants combined, based on U.S.
> Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, according to a new
> analysis on Environmental Defense's www.scorecard.org website.
>
> The analysis is based on a massive EPA study, which provides detailed
> estimates of the levels of 41 top hazardous air pollutants in every
> community in the U.S.  EPA's previous version did not include
> information on diesel particulate emissions.
>
> "The dominance of diesel in the unhealthiness of our air is a
> revelation," said David Roe, Environmental Defense senior attorney.
> "It couldn't be seen before, only because studies weren't trying to
> look for it."
>
> Scorecard.org is able to translate quantities of hazardous air
> pollutants into cancer risks, both nationally and at the local level.
> For any locality, see
> www.scorecard.org/env-releases/hap/community.tcl.
>
> "The bad news is that cancer risks from air toxics are much higher
> than the public has been told before.  The good news is that a great
> deal of the air toxics problem can by addressed by focusing on just
> this one pollutant. Cutting diesel exhaust has to be priority number
> one for everyone concerned about the health of our air."
>
> Diesel's predominance leads to surprising results.  For example,
> supposedly clean San Francisco shows a risk level of 2,600 additional
> cancer cases per million, with 90% of the risk coming from diesel
> emissions.  The goal set in the Clean Air Act for air toxics is a
> maximum of one additional case per million.
>
> The air pollution comes both from diesel vehicles on the roads, like
> trucks and buses, and from offroad equipment like bulldozers and heavy
> construction machinery.  "Offroad diesel equipment is a big part of
> the problem that most people don't realize, and that is long overdue
> for emission controls," Roe said.
>
> Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization based
> in New York, represents more than 300,000 members.  Since 1967 we have
> linked science, economics, and law to create innovative, equitable,
> and cost-effective solutions to the most urgent environmental
> problems.
>
> www.environmentaldefense.org
>
> For more information, contact Allison Cobb Environmental Defense
> 212-505-2100 [log in to unmask] Web site:
> http://www.environmentaldefense.org