What's the Problem?
It's Just a Car. What's the Big Deal?
Emissions from an individual car or truck are generally low, but add up the emissions from millions of vehicles in use every day and you have serious air pollution. Driving your car probably causes more pollution than anything else you do today - and you have the power to fix that!
Air pollution from motor vehicles is the result of fuel burning in the engine. Harmful chemicals are produced during this combustion process and released as exhaust. These chemicals cause a variety of human and environmental health problems.
Auto Emission Dangers
(all information adapted and condensed from information provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - for more general information go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/05-autos.pdf)
- HYDROCARBONS (also known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs) are a principal ingredient responsible for ground-level ozone smog. Ozone smog results when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides interact with sunlight. Ozone irritates the eyes, damages the lungs, causes asthma attacks and aggravates other respiratory problems too. It is our most widespread air pollution problem. Like other air toxics, hydrocarbons also have the potential to cause cancer.
- NITROGEN OXIDES (NOx), like hydrocarbons, are precursors to the formation of ozone. They also contribute to the formation of acid rain.
- CARBON MONOXIDE. reduces the flow of oxygen in the bloodstream and is particularly dangerous to people with heart disease.
- CARBON DIOXIDE is a "greenhouse gas" that forms a blanket that traps the earth's heat and contributes to global warming.
- PARTICULATES, such as soot, are a serious health problems particularly for people with respiratory and heart disease. Particle pollution is the major source of haze, which reduces visibility. When particulates are deposited on soil and water, they can harm the environment by changing nutrient and chemical balances.
What is Acid Rain?
Acid rain is a broad term used to describe several ways that acids fall out of the atmosphere. A more precise term is acid deposition, which has two parts: wet and dry. Wet deposition refers to acidic rain, fog, and snow. Dry deposition refers to acidic gases and particles that fall back to earth; winds blow these acidic particles and gases onto buildings, cars, homes, and trees.
What are the effects of Acid Rain?
Acid rain causes acidification of lakes and streams and damages water bodies, trees and other plants, and many sensitive forest soils. Studies have shown that areas high in acid rain damage have lower levels of calcium-rich invertebrates that provide food for forest birds such as thrushes, suggesting a link between the decline of these birds and acid rain.
Acid rain also accelerates the decay of building materials and paints, including irreplaceable buildings, statues and sculptures that are part of our nation's cultural heritage.
But the effects of acid rain are most clearly seen in streams, lakes, and marshes. Acid rain can harm or kill individual fish, reduce fish population numbers, and eliminate a fish species. Because fish, plants, and other organisms rely upon each other for sustenance, the loss of one animal in the food chain can decrease biodiversity in that environment. So as lakes and streams become more acidic, the numbers and types of fish and other animals and plants that live in those waters decrease. The trees do not grow at a healthy pace. Leaves and needles turn brown and fall off when they should be green and healthy. In extreme cases, individual trees or entire areas of the forest simply die off, because of acid rain.
What is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, poisonous gas emitted directly from vehicle tailpipes. Nationwide, two-thirds of the carbon monoxide emissions come from vehicles, with the largest contribution coming from highway motor vehicles. In urban areas, carbon monoxide pollution from cars and trucks can exceed 90 percent.
What are the effects of Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream through the lungs and forms a compound that inhibits the blood's capacity to carry oxygen to organs and tissues. People with heart disease are especially sensitive to carbon monoxide poisoning and may experience chest pain if they breathe the gas while exercising. Infants, the elderly, and people with respiratory diseases are also particularly sensitive. Carbon monoxide can affect healthy individuals, reducing exercise capacity, visual perception, manual dexterity, learning functions, and the ability to perform complex tasks.
For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/03-co.pdf
What are Air Toxics?
Air toxics are air pollutants that cause adverse health effects. Motor vehicles emit several pollutants that EPA classifies as known or probable human carcinogens. Benzene, for instance, is a known human carcinogen, and formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, 1,3-butadiene and diesel particulate matter are likely human carcinogens as well.
What are the effects of Air Toxics?
People exposed to high levels of toxic air pollutants may increase their risk of getting cancer or experiencing other serious health effects. These can include damage to the immune system as well as neurological, reproductive (e.g., reduced fertility), developmental, respiratory, and other health problems. Some toxic air pollutants such as mercury can deposit onto soils or surface waters, where they are taken up by plants and ingested by animals and eventually move through the food chain to humans. Both animals and humans may experience health problems if exposed to high levels of air toxics over time. EPA estimates that car, truck, and bus emissions account for as much as half of all cancers attributed to outdoor sources of air toxics.
For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/f02004.pdf or go to: http://www.epa.gov/air/toxicair/newtoxics.html
What is Ground-level Ozone?
Ground-level ozone is a colorless gas that can be found in the air we breathe. Human sources of ground-level ozone include: 1) automobiles, trucks and buses; 2) gasoline storage and transfer; 3) large combustion and industry sources such as utilities; 4) industrial use of solvents and degreasing agents; 5) consumer products such as paints and cleaners; and 6) off-road engines such as aircraft, locomotives, boats, construction equipment and lawn and garden equipment.
What are the effects of Ground-level Ozone?
Ground-level ozone is a component of smog and a harmful pollutant. Even at relatively low levels, ozone may cause inflammation and irritation of the respiratory tract, particularly during physical activity. The resulting symptoms can include breathing difficulty, coughing, stinging eyes, and throat irritation. Breathing ozone can affect breathing and worsen asthma attacks. Ozone can increase the susceptibility of the lungs to infections, allergens, and other air pollutants. Medical studies have shown that ozone damages lung tissue, and complete recovery may take several days after exposure has ended. Children are the most at risk from exposure to ground-level ozone, since their respiratory systems are still developing and they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults do.
Elevated ozone levels also inhibit plant growth and can cause widespread damage to crops and forests. Unhealthy ozone levels are a problem across the United States, with nearly 100 cities exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standard.
For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/ozone/ or to: http://www.epa.gov/airnow/health/
How do I know when ground-level ozone concentrations are high?
Maine suffers from many days of unhealthful ozone smog each year. Ozone concentrations tend to be especially high during the summer months when the weather is hot and sunny. Each afternoon from May 1st through September 15th, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) provides ozone forecasts for the following day. Whenever unhealthy ozone concentrations are expected, the forecast contains an "advisory" message. The forecast are available from:
- 24-hour toll free Air Quality hotline: 1-800-223-1196
- Online in this site - daily forecasts
- Local Media
What are Greenhouse Gases?
Some greenhouse gases (primarily carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) occur naturally in the atmosphere, while others result from human activities. In the United States, approximately 6.6 tons (almost 15,000 pounds) of greenhouse gases are emitted per person every year. Most of these emissions (about 82%) are from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and power our cars and trucks. As an individual, you can affect the emissions of about 4,800 pounds, or nearly 32% of the total emissions per person, by the choices you make in three areas of your life. These areas are the electricity we use in our homes, the waste we produce, and personal transportation. Importantly, about half of this impact is due to personal transportation. For information about a vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions visit the Department of Energy's Fuel Economy Web Site.
What are the effects of Greenhouse Gases?
Increases in greenhouse gases enhance the heat-trapping capability of the earth's atmosphere thereby leading to a warmer planet (global warming). Scientists have identified a general global warming trend of about 1°F since the late 19th century. This has lead to melting glaciers, decreased snow cover in the northern hemisphere and rising soil temperatures. Globally, sea level has already risen 4-8 inches over the past century. Worldwide precipitation has increased while the frequency of extreme rainfall events has increased throughout much of the U.S.
Projecting what the exact impacts of global warming will be over the next century remains very difficult; especially when projecting impacts at a local level. Rising global temperatures are expected to further raise sea levels, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human health and many types of ecosystems. Most of the U.S. is expected to warm. Scientists currently are unable to determine which parts of the U.S. will become wetter or drier, but there is likely to be an overall trend toward increased precipitation and evaporation, more intense rainstorms, and drier soils.
For more information go to: http://epa.gov/climatechange/index.html
What is Particle Pollution?
Particle pollution is the term for particles found in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. They come from a variety of sources such as cars, trucks, buses, factories, construction sites, tilled fields, unpaved roads, stone crushing, and burning of wood. They are also indirectly formed when gases from burning fuels react with sunlight and water vapor. These can result from fuel combustion in motor vehicles, at power plants, and in other industrial processes. Particles come in a wide range of sizes. Those less than 10 micrometers in diameter pose the greatest health concern because they can be inhaled and accumulate in the respiratory system.
What are the effects of Particle Pollution?
When exposed to particle pollution, people with existing heart or lung diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart disease, or ischemic heart disease, are at increased risk of premature death or admission to hospitals or emergency rooms. The elderly also are sensitive to particle pollution exposure. When exposed to particle pollution, children and people with existing lung disease may not be able to breathe as deeply or vigorously as they normally would, and may experience symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath.
For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/oar/particlepollution/
How do I know when particle pollution concentrations are high?
Particle pollution concentrations can be elevated throughout the year. When particle pollution levels are elevated, Maine DEP reports the level on the air quality hotline and the air quality forecast website. Whenever unhealthy particle pollution concentrations are expected, staff will issue an "advisory" message. Particle pollution concentrations can be found at:
- 24-hour Air Quality toll free hotline: 1-800-223-1196
- Online on this site - daily forecasts