http://ens-news.com/ens/apr2003/2003-04-25-11.asp
Regulations Cut U.S. Carbon Monoxide Emissions WASHINGTON, DC, April 25, 2003 (ENS) - The U.S. regulation of carbon monoxide is "one of the great success stories in air pollution control," an independent panel of scientists reported this week. According to the National Academy of Sciences committee, tighter vehicle emissions standards and federal air quality standards have combined to dramatically lower levels of the colorless, odorless but potentially deadly gas across much of the United States. The panel found that there are a few areas in the Western United States still susceptible to accumulating high levels of the pollutant, but said there is no need to further tighten federal carbon monoxide (CO)emissions standards on motor vehicles. CO is primarily produced by the incomplete burning of carbon in fuel - motor vehicles produce about 60 percent of the nationwide total, although this could be as high as 95 percent in some cities. CO is also produced by industrial processes, non transportation fuel use and wildfires. The federal emissions standards for cars and trucks, the panel reports, are the main reason for the drop in levels of the gas and have helped prevent some 11,000 deaths from accidental CO poisoning over the past three decades. Even with strict emissions standards, Increasing traffic could begin to lessen the progress made on cutting carbon monoxide emissions. (Photo courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)) "With the introduction of emissions controls, particularly automotive catalysts, estimated CO emissions from all sources decreased by 21 percent from 1980 to 1999," the panel said. "Average ambient concentrations decreased by about 57 percent over the same period." New cars and trucks are now capable of emitting 90 percent less CO over their lifetimes than cars built 30 years ago, before the emissions standards were enacted, according to data from the EPA. The panel detailed how in 1971, when the EPA set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)for carbon monoxide, more than 90 percent of the monitored sites were in violation. The standards set were nine parts per million (ppm) for an eight hour average and 35 ppm for a one hour average. The panel found that only the eight hour standard is currently exceeded in a few locations in the country, on a small number of days and mainly in areas with unique meteorological and topographical conditions that can trap CO. Cities in basins are at risk, as low air circulation and cooler temperatures near the ground keep CO from rising into the atmosphere. Low temperatures also contribute to higher CO, the panel said, because engines and vehicles emission control equipment operate less efficiently when cold. Concern over these locations with continued vulnerability to high CO concentrations prompted Congress to request the report, titled "Managing Carbon Monoxide in Meteorological and Topographical Problem Areas." The National Academy of Sciences is a congressionally chartered, private body tasked with providing independent advice on scientific and technological matters. The panel used Fairbanks, Alaska as a case study because the city's vehicle emissions, meteorology and topography combine to "produce conditions conducive to high ambient CO concentrations." Fairbanks is cold, experiences strong and long lasting ground level temperature inversions during winter that trap pollutants near the ground and sits in a river valley, which further reduces pollutant dispersion. The long range strategy to keep carbon monoxide levels low involves offering options to get people out of cars and off the roads. (Photo courtesy EPA) "It is the only serious CO nonattainment area with a population under 100,000 and little industry," according to the panel. CO limits in Fairbanks were exceeded on more than 100 days per year in the 1970s, but there has not been a violation in the last two years, the panel reported. These improvements, however, do not mean the battle against CO has been won. Meteorological conditions can not be changed and with more and more cars on the road for longer periods of time, jurisdictions must be vigilant if they want to continue to be in compliance, the panel finds. "Maintaining compliance with the NAAQS for CO will be unlikely without an accurate understanding of cause-effect relationships and will depend on how this understanding is translated into control policies." Government officials in Fairbanks, and in other areas affected by these conditions, should increase vehicle inspections and maintenance to ensure vehicles in the region are meeting emissions standards, the panel recommended, and should shift toward cleaner burning fuel with less sulfur. Federal and state assistance should be provided to help implement such countermeasures in communities still at risk of violating CO standards, according to the panel's report. "In the absence of further federal mandates designed to yield additional emissions reductions in cold climates, enhancement of state or local controls is essential for achieving and maintaining CO concentration standards," the panel wrote. Other areas in nonattainment for CO must address "unique conditions" that contribute to their own problems. Continued progress toward meeting the CO standards in these at risk locations will reduce the potential for adverse health effects from CO pollution as well, the report notes. Studies have correlated heavy exposure to CO pollution with heart disease, childhood development abnormalities, and miscarriages, the panel reported, but there is insufficient evidence to prove that carbon monoxide is the sole cause of these other health problems because other air pollutants, such as particulate matter, are often present as well. Of the seven areas in serious nonattainment for CO, the report finds, five are in nonattainment for PM10, the standard for harmful particles with diameters of 10 micrometers or less. These are: Anchorage, Alaska; Denver/Boulder, Colorado; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Spokane, Washington. These other pollutants - and the health risks they present - are "a good reason for federal agencies to leave existing carbon monoxide monitors in place, even in areas not expected to violate standards," the panel recommended, because CO can indicate the presence of other pollutants. ------------------------ Yahoo! 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