After countless of years of EPA regulations, the diesel engines manufactured today are much cleaner than its predecessors. The downside to these diesel engines is they still operate on our DMV roads and air for 25 years after regulations. Reducing exposure to diesel exhaust from these engines is especially important for human health and the environment. With DC's constant rise with new construction and development also lies a negative with diesel equipment used on construction sites impacting the health of people working on and living within a 10-block radius.
Constant exposure to diesel exhaust fumes contribute to serious health conditions like asthma and escalates heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly. People living in hot zones of interstate highways, bus depots and construction sites are some of the most at risk. With this exposure means an influx of people visiting emergency rooms, hospitals, loss of work and school, and premature deaths. Maryland and VA residents suffer from damaged crops, trees and acid rain affects soil, lakes and streams causing a domino effect into our food chains of water, produce, meat and fish on the local front in DC. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from diesel engines on all transportation and construction through improved fuel economy or idle reduction strategies are the only ways to battle our going fight of climate change.
As many new charter buses and trains must meet EPA's current emission standards, a majority of the older fleets continue to produce harmful diesel fumes into the air. Idling charter buses along Union Station and National Monument corridor, along with CSX train routes within neighborhoods, house some of the highest levels of diesel emissions in the city. Idling buses pollute air in and around the buses by entering buildings through vents, doors, and open windows. Diesel exhaust from these buses has a negative impact on human health, especially those with a faster breathing rate than adults and whose lungs are not yet fully developed. With this information we must educate ourselves on how we can maintain healthy and sustainable lives. So where are they key locations and what are some solutions? Here's a short a list below:
Places in DC with high levels of Diesel Emissions:
1- Union Station
2- Homes alongside CSX train routes
3- Construction Sites
4- Homes along I-95/395/50 highways
5- National Monument Area
6- School/Charter Bus Depots
Steps to reduce Diesel Emissions in DMV:
1-Reduce idling.
2-Replace old buses and trains on all fleets.
3-Deploy cleanest buses on longest routes.
4-Discourage drivers from following directly behind buses or large vehicles.
5-Require CSX trains and construction sites to adhere to stricter regulations.
6-Develop educational programs for students about air pollution.
7-Apply for funding via the EPA that reduces diesel emissions from existing engines.
Click below to view National Geographic's DC CUSP video exploring further on this issue: