The Hound's Bark
Healdsburg High School
California Air Pollution Status
Aniesa Vasquez
APR. 22, 2021
In recent news, various sources are reporting that deaths by exposure to diesel fuel have dropped over 82% in the past two decades.
In recent news, various sources are reporting that deaths by exposure to diesel fuel have dropped over 82% inthe past two decades. Diesel fuel releases diesel particulate matter which can have major long term health effects such as asphyxiation if exposed to in large amounts, and has been linked to severe lung cancer.
Diesel particulate matter can be exhausted from things such as trucks, planes, buses, and other equipment. According to the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, most of the high levels of diesel particulate matter is found “near ports, rail yards and freeways.”
GoodNewsNetwork has reported that “from the period between 1990 and 2014, the amount of DPM in the California skies fell by 78%, while cardiopulmonary and cancer deaths linked to diesel pollution dropped by 82%.”
In 2001, particulate filters were created by Navistar, an international truck and engine corporation, which helped to trap the soon inside of a filter to reduce the amount of particulate matter produced.
The increase of electrical based automotives has also helped to reduce the amount diesel particulate matter produced as well as the encouragement of public figures to switch to more environmentally friendly options.
As California moves to more sustainable ways of living such as electric cars and the ban of fossil fuel in the future, we can only hope for more ways to help reduce air pollution.