- 3 reads
It’s not a question of whether people are dying from a type of air pollution known as fine particulate exposure, but how many. Those attacking the science behind the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) epic rulemakings on toxic diesels, however, won’t let the facts get in the way of a good story. Like climate change deniers, these groups continue to attack science with trumped up charges that defy the consensus of experts in the field.
It is true that the CARB staffer who managed the review of dozens of studies showing mortality impacts of fine particulate matter (PM) exposure faked his personal credentials, and that is most unfortunate. That has nothing to do though, with the robust and extensive body of science, showing strong links between increased mortality and fine PM exposure. The peer reviewed literature is full of scores of these studies from internationally recognized experts in the field with unassailable credentials (see this summary from US EPA).
The fact is that you’ll never see “small particles” written on a death certificate, but we know that it kills tens of thousands in the US alone. In fact, even the World Health Organization recognizes PM as a major global killer, estimating about two million deaths from air pollution worldwide each year. Diesel exhaust is notoriously full of fine PM; there’s no doubt about it. And these particles actually discriminate who they kill, because it’s the poorest communities with the largest minority populations who are most exposed to high diesel traffic corridors and transportation hubs.
The powerful industries that rely on polluting diesel engines continue to promote the false choice between jobs and health. They are used to receiving subsidies in the form of millions of impacted lungs and lives so that they can continue to run dirty, old engines without controls. Now, CARB regulations forcing trucks and construction equipment to clean up their act have provoked attacks on the science of pollution-driven health impacts. These attacks are no surprise, but hopefully decisionmakers can stay focused on the fact that thousands of Californians are dying each year waiting for these engines to be cleaned up.
These industries continue to try to sue, legislate, obstruct and do everything they can to delay the relief to stifling diesel pollution that everyone is waiting for. CARB made the right decision to reexamine the link between fine PM pollution and mortality, despite the overwhelming evidence and scientific community’s conclusions that diesel pollution is bad for your health. In fact, reports abound showing stronger links between fine PM and mortality than previously thought. We are confident that science will prevail, allowing California to continue on our path to crack down on deadly diesel pollution. We expect CARB to release their newest report soon, bringing the agency in line with other esteemed institutions like US EPA, the World Health Organization and the Health Effects Institute, confirming the link between inhaling particulate matter and premature death.
This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard.
Diane Bailey is a Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council. NRDC is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the environment, people and animals. NRDC was founded in 1970 and is comprised of more than 300 lawyers, scientists and policy experts, with more than one million members and e-activists.
