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Report on deadly Valley air calls for more controls
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| Published in the Stockton Record on 02/04/05 |
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Report on deadly Valley air calls for more controls
By Dana Nichols Record Staff Writer Published Friday, February 4, 2005 San Joaquin Valley air pollution cops aren't doing enough to curb pollution even though nine times more Valley residents die from dirty air than from homicides, according to a report released Thursday by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report calls for an overhaul of the local air pollution board to give it authority over transportation, land use and planning. It also calls for the state Legislature to expand the board's powers to address "all sources of air pollution." The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, like all regional air districts, has no power over vehicle emissions that cause most of the Valley's air pollution. "It's true that the majority of pollution comes from automobile and truck traffic," said San Joaquin County Supervisor Jack Sieglock, a member of the Valley air board. "And it is true that there is a tremendous amount of frustration on our part for wanting to reduce pollution in those areas," he said. But Sieglock balked at the idea that the board's power over land use planning should be expanded to prevent developments that would contribute to air pollution. "Am I going to tell somebody in the southern part of the district that they can't build this kind of business?" Sieglock asked. "Nobody elected this board to make those kind of decisions." ::: Advertisement ::: The report harshly criticized the air board as well as state and federal air regulators for what it calls "a pattern of neglect and inaction." The Valley has never met federal clean-air standards and has fallen years behind in crafting plans to control tiny air particles that can damage human lungs. Meanwhile, Stockton on Thursday registered one of its worst air pollution days of the year, with an Air Quality Index of 126. At that level, the air district issues an orange alert, warning that young children, the elderly and those with lung ailments should not exercise outside. The district forecasts an AQI of 116 for today, still in the orange alert range. The main culprits are so-called PM 2.5 particles, those measuring 2.5 microns or smaller, or one-fortieth the thickness of a human hair. They can lodge deeply in human lungs and have been linked to premature deaths and cancer. Dr. David Pepper is a physician in the University of California, San Francisco, community medicine facility in Fresno. He was among those who spoke at Thursday's news conference in Fresno, where the report was released. "There are things that can be done: investing in mass transportation; de-emphasizing the car; banning fireplaces," Pepper said. The Union of Concerned Scientists collaborated with the Steven and Michele Kirsch Foundation to produce the report. Among its findings was that an estimated 2,200 people in the San Joaquin Valley's eight counties died of air pollution-related causes over two years, while only 241 were murdered. Pepper said his research shows that hospital admissions for lung disorders in the Valley spike on the same winter days that the air is most polluted with soot and dust particles. Pepper wants to see clean-air rules based on what the pollution does to people rather than on other measures such as the how much pollution reduces visibility. Although air districts do not now have the power to regulate vehicles directly, the report urged creation of a fee for so-called indirect pollution sources. Such a fee is a way to have developers pay to compensate for the increased traffic and pollution developments bring. "We are working on an indirect-source rule right now," said Anthony Presto, a spokesman for the air district. It will take several years, however, before any such rule could go into effect, he said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * To reach reporter Dana Nichols, phone (209) 546-8295 or e-mail dnichols@recordnet.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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