Clean Air News

PHILADELPHIA—Lancaster, York-Hanover, Harrisburg-Carlisle and Reading ranked 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th respectively nationwide for the worst chronic fine particle, or “soot,” pollution among mid-sized metro areas in 2004; Pittsburgh ranked 1st nationwide for the most “spikes” in soot pollution; and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia ranked 2nd and 16th respectively for the worst chronic soot pollution, according to a new report released today by the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. Pennsylvania as a whole ranked second among states for the highest annual soot pollution levels.

“Far too many Pennsylvania cities made the top ten list that no city wants to be on,” said Nathan Willcox, Energy & Clean Air Advocate with PennEnvironment. “These cities have some of the nation’s worst soot pollution, and our kids and senior citizens suffer asthma attacks and other serious health problems as a result.”

Power plants and diesel engines are the largest sources of fine particle pollution. The coal-fired power plants in western Pennsylvania release high levels of this pollution, as do the diesel trucks on the many highways that cross through Pennsylvania. Air currents also carry pollution from dirty power plants in the Midwest into Pennsylvania.

Because of their small size, fine particles can lodge deep in the lungs or even pass into the bloodstream, causing serious respiratory and cardiovascular problems, such as asthma attacks, heart attacks, and lung cancer. Fine particle pollution cuts short the lives of more than 1,800 Pennsylvanians each year, according to a Clear the Air analysis of EPA data.

Soot pollution from diesel trucks has compelled some Pennsylvanians into action. The Carlisle Area Clean Air Board (CAB), for instance, was formed by the faith community and community activists to first gather solid data on the air pollution problem facing the Carlisle area. The group plans to develop a clear plan to raise awareness and solicit support for steps to achieve meaningful pollution reduction goals in Cumberland County that meet DEP standards for particulate pollution. Carlisle Area CAB will be calling on state and local officials to help solve this problem.

PennEnvironment was joined in releasing the report at events in Harrisburg and Pittsburgh by Carlisle Area CAB, the American Lung Association of Pennsylvania, Clean Air Council, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto, Pennsylvania PTA and GASP (Group Against Smog and Pollution).

“I love living and raising my family in Carlisle and it is so sad to me that the air has become toxic,” said Pam Frohman with the Carlisle Area Clean Air Board. “It is time to pass anti-idling ordinances and prevent further land development for the trucking industry until technology significantly reducing diesel emissions is mandated in local municipal codes.”

“Particle pollution is a serious and persistent problem in our part of the country; even though it’s invisible, we know it’s real—and we know it can sicken, and even kill,” said Kevin Stewart, Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association of Pennsylvania. Stewart estimated that about 190,000 persons with chronic lung disease and about half a million people with heart disease were at special risk from air pollution in the area of the Capital region plus Berks, Lancaster, and York Counties alone.

“As Pittsburgh works to shake its image as the 'Smoky City', it is distressing to learn that Pittsburgh continues to rank among the leaders of annual soot pollution levels,” said Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto. “The City of Pittsburgh and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must work with the federal government to create and fund programs that will alleviate soot pollution by investing in finding alternatives to coal burning plants.”

Suzy Gerst, Legislation and Advocacy Chairman for the Pennsylvania PTA stated, “The Pennsylvania Parent Teachers Association stands behind a more stringent clean air standard; the Pennsylvania PTA supports legislation that would require the reduction of environmental health hazards, such as poor outdoor air quality in order to protect children and youth from environmental hazards.”

The new report, called "Plagued by Pollution", is based on a PennEnvironment survey of the environmental agencies in all 50 states and Washington, DC. The report looks at all of the instances in 2004 when pollution levels exceeded EPA’s two health-based air quality standards for fine particle pollution. EPA’s “annual” standard is based on how much fine particle pollution is safe to breathe on an everyday basis over the course of a year, while EPA’s higher “24-hour” standard is based on how much fine particle pollution is safe to breathe on any single day. Both types of exposures are associated with illness and death.

Key findings include the following:
• Lancaster, York-Hanover, Harrisburg-Carlisle and Reading ranked 5th, 6th, 9th and 10th nationwide respectively for the worst chronic fine particle pollution among mid-sized metro areas in 2004. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia ranked 2nd and 16th nationwide respectively for the worst chronic fine particle pollution among large metro areas in 2004. Fine particle pollution was high year-round in these areas and exceeded EPA’s standard for what is safe to breathe over the long-term (the annual standard).
• Pittsburgh ranked 1st nationwide for the most dangerous spikes in fine particle pollution among large metro areas in 2004. Pittsburgh suffered 7 soot days in 2004, when levels of fine particle pollution spiked above EPA’s standard for what is safe to breathe on any given day (the 24-hour standard).
• Pennsylvania ranked 2nd among states nationally for the worst chronic fine particle pollution in 2004.

“This pollution is a serious health threat, but the Bush administration is shirking its obligation to protect Pennsylvanians in order to maintain the status quo for polluters,” said Willcox.

In 2005, the Bush administration’s science advisors and EPA staff scientists concluded that the current health standards for fine particle pollution are too weak to fully protect the public. They recommended that the administration make the standards more protective, which would require power plants and other polluters to clean up.

In December 2005, the Bush administration rejected these recommendations and proposed only a very minor change to the health standards. It is unprecedented for an administration to disregard the recommendations of the independent Clean Air Science Advisory Committee.

“This is one of the most important decisions that the Bush administration will make on air pollution, but the White House has chosen to disregard its own science advisors under pressure from the electric power industry and other special interests,” said Willcox. “Once again, the Bush administration is favoring polluters over public health, putting politics above science and the law.”

Air quality standards are the foundation for all of the nation’s work to improve air quality. Under the Clean Air Act, the administration must set air quality standards at levels that protect public health, review these standards every five years, and update them as needed.

EPA’s own risk assessment shows that the current annual fine particle standard of 15 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) and 24-hour standard of 65 µg/m3 protect only 56 million people, leaving tens of millions of Americans unprotected from hazardous particle pollution levels. The administration’s proposal would maintain the annual standard at 15 µg/m3 and only slightly lower the daily standard to 35 µg/m3.

Beyond federal action, the groups also called on Pennsylvania to take action to reduce pollution from diesel engines. Specifically, the groups urged the Commonwealth to require diesel engines used in state contracting work to meet clean diesel standards; to establish statewide idling restrictions for diesel vehicles as recommended by the South-central and Lehigh Valley Ozone Stakeholder Workgroups; and to increase the amount of funds available for retrofitting existing public transit and public school diesel vehicles with advanced pollution control technologies.

“Thankfully for Pennsylvanians, state leaders can do a lot to reduce diesel pollution in the Commonwealth, and it’s still not too late for the Bush administration to change course to fight this proven killer,” concluded Willcox.

PennEnvironment is a statewide environmental advocacy organization with more than 15,000 citizen members across Pennsylvania. A copy of “Plagued by Pollution,” and additional information about PennEnvironment can be found at www.PennEnvironment.org.