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Plan to combat tiny but deadly dust approved
| Thursday, May 22 2008 2:15 PM
Last Updated: Friday, May 23 2008 7:21 AM
State air quality officials OK’d a valley plan Thursday to clean up fine particulate pollution, which a recent report found is three times more deadly than previously thought.
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Under the plan, the valley should meet federal health standards for the pollution by 2014. State officials required additional fallback measures to ensure the deadline is met.
The state’s approval came one day after it released a study saying fine particulates kill 24,000 Californians each year — triple the previous estimate of 8,000. More than 3,000 of those deaths occur in the San Joaquin Valley annually.
The particulate cleanup plan was drafted by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and approved by its board last month. It will now be forwarded to federal regulators for approval.
Fine particulates, also known as PM 2.5, are tiny specks of chemicals, dust and soot that linger in the air during winter months. The pollution is caused by emissions from factories, vehicles, farms and smoke.
While the valley has a severe smog problem, particulates are considered more dangerous. In addition to triggering asthma attacks and lung ailments, the tiny particles can pass through the lungs and into the bloodstream, where they can clog arteries. New research also shows the pollution may damage brain tissue.
Doctors have documented trends that show an increase in deaths from lung diseases, heart attacks and strokes on days when fine particle pollution is high.
A 2006 Cal State Fullerton study estimated particle pollution costs valley residents $3.2 billion annually in health costs, though that number is expected to be much higher in light of the state’s new study.
Fresno and Bakersfield have some of the highest levels of PM 2.5 pollution in the state.
The valley’s cleanup plan largely targets diesel trucks and industrial plants but will also tighten a rule that prohibits residential wood-burning on days when air quality is bad. Under the new rule, Kern County could see up to 30 no-burn days during winter months compared to about 12 this season.
Clean air advocates had criticized the plan for relying too heavily on a state law to clean up diesel trucks that has not yet been passed.
“We seriously doubt whether (state officials) will have the will to regulate the trucking industry,” said Brent Newell, an attorney for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment, which organizes and assists residents in rural areas with environmental problems.
They wanted contingency rules in place that would kick into effect if the plan fails to achieve the expected pollution reductions. One measure advocates proposed was to prohibit the operation of polluting farm equipment or trucks on days when air quality is poor.
Air Resources Board members agreed with advocates’ concerns but not their ideas.
“Understandably, the community wants a commitment from us,” said Air Resources Board Chairwoman Mary Nichols.
Instead, the state board required regional air officials to create other rules as fallback measures that would take effect in 2014 if the cleanup plan hasn’t worked.
One would further strengthen the residential wood-burning rule in 2014to a level that would virtually eliminate the use of fireplaces in the valley. The other contingency measures would affect industrial boilers and engines.