The Puget Sound region ranks in the country’s top five percent of risk for exposure to toxic air pollution, according to the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) released today by the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA).
The study identifies exhaust from diesel and gasoline engines as the leading contributors to air toxics in the area. Air toxics are pollutants known or suspected to cause serious health problems, such as cancer, heart disease, lung damage, and nerve damage.
“According to this study, diesel- and gasoline-powered engines account for over 90 percent of the risk from air toxics to Puget Sound residents,” said Craig Kenworthy, executive director of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. “If we’re serious about protecting public health, we must redouble our efforts as a region to reduce pollution from vehicles and diesel pollution in particular.”
The NATA study is a comprehensive evaluation of air toxics emissions and the health risks associated with these emissions. The NATA assesses 177 air toxics and relies on data from 2005.
In the Puget Sound region, the NATA report finds that diesel particulate matter (soot), formaldehyde and benzene are the air toxics of greatest concern, and that concentrations are highest along major goods movement corridors from Everett to Tacoma. These results align with the findings of the regional air toxics study released by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency last week. That study, based on local air monitoring data, showed that in addition to vehicle emissions, wood-burning also contributes to air toxics risk, especially in the Tacoma area.
“We need cleaner diesel fleets – especially along our major transportation corridors,” said Kenworthy. “Through our Diesel Solutions program we have cleaned up or replaced thousands of older diesel engines using funds from federal, state and local grants.”
“Through our Puget Sound Clean Cities program we are displacing over 7 million gallons of diesel and gasoline each year through cleaner alternatives such as compressed natural gas and vehicle electrification,” continued Kenworthy. “And through our agency-funded Evergreen Fleets program, we provide public and private fleets with tools and strategies to operate efficiently, reduce emissions, and save money.”
“As evidenced by this study, we still have a ways to go,” concluded Kenworthy. “We need to put our regional spirit of innovation to work to forge clean, efficient transportation systems to move people and goods and protect the air we all breathe.”
