Clean Cars

The exhaust from internal combustion engines contains many harmful by-products, including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine airborne particulate matter.1 Hydrocarbons create smog and cause cancer in humans. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that limits the flow of oxygen to the brain and the body. Nitrogen oxides damage lung tissue and cause acid rain. Fine airborne particulate matter causes lung damage and cancer.2 Hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and fine airborne particulate matter aggravate respiratory diseases, such as asthma.

Infants and young children tend to breathe through their mouths, which allows polluted air to bypass filtering mechanisms in the nasal passages. They also breathe more rapidly than adults and spend more time outdoors—especially in the summer, when smog levels are highest. Children’s airways are smaller, which makes airborne particles more damaging. Damage sustained during childhood can severely affect development of the nervous, immune and respiratory systems, and can increase the risk of developing cancer and other diseases later in life.3

A Harvard University study conducted with the American Public Health Association (APHA) showed that low-income and minority groups in the inner cities experience significantly higher rates of harm than other groups. The highest incidence of asthma in children is found among low-income and African American toddlers, who predominantly live in urban areas. Researchers in the Harvard/APHA study point out that global warming caused by increased emissions also causes pollen seasons to arrive earlier, which further contributes to poor respiratory health among vulnerable populations.4

Carbon dioxide produced by vehicles accounts for 26 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Our nation’s transportation sector alone emits more carbon dioxide than any entire country except China, which has four times the U.S. population.5 Greenhouse gases absorb sunlight that reflects off the Earth’s surface to create a blanket of heated gas in the atmosphere. A rapid increase in greenhouse gases has caused climate change around the world, including global warming, changed weather patterns, and more cases of severe weather.6 This phenomenon became apparent in the U.S. in 2005, when severe storms devastated the Gulf region.

All new vehicles for sale in the U.S. must meet federal emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA standards limit the amount of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and fine airborne particulate matter that can come from a vehicle’s tailpipe and leak from its fuel system. Vehicles sold in California, Massachusetts and New York must meet the stringent emissions standards established by the California Air Resources Board. The California standards promote the sale of zero-emission vehicles—typically electric cars—as well as low-emission hybrids. The Board has voted to strengthen its emissions standards for the 2009 model year, although the auto industry is challenging the new regulations. Federal law prohibits states from setting their own independent emissions standards, but they can adopt the California standards if pollution levels in any county in the state exceed any of the EPA’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Thirty-three states (AL, AZ, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MN, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY) and the District of Columbia are eligible to adopt California’s standards using the NAAQS measure.7

In 2005, Washington adopted California’s emissions standards through legislation and Oregon adopted them by executive order. Altogether, nine states (CA, CT, MA, NJ, NY, OR, RI, VT, WA) have adopted the California standards. Standards in some states have not yet taken effect.