Posted on 11/15/2008 12:58:10 PM PST by Lorianne
Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new study.
The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths.
The price tag amounts to $1,600 annually per person in the San Joaquin Valley and $1,250 in the South Coast Air Basin.
Researchers at California State University-Fullerton sought to assess the potential economic benefits that could be achieved by reducing air pollution to levels within federal standards.
"For decades there has been a tug of war over what to do about air pollution," said Jane Hall, lead author of the study at Cal State Fullerton. "We are paying now for not having done enough."
To illustrate its point, the study noted that the California Highway Patrol recorded 2,521 vehicular deaths in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Basin in 2006, compared to 3,812 deaths attributed to respiratory illness caused by particulate pollution.
(Excerpt) Read more at chron.com ...
Unless you get rid of all auotmobiles, then you reduce both pollution AND traffic fatalities (except of course, bicycle crashes and horse/carriage crashes).
haha, pry your woodstove from your cold, dead hands? Indeed. And my farting cow, too, should I want one. hahah.
Public enemy number one is the personal automobile.
Until our right to own one is destroyed, look for crap articles like this.
Wow, so if they all stop driving then there won’t be any car accidents and there won’t be so much pollution and they can live forever, cool.
Vallies and basins collect smog naturally, and then you build cities in them. You should have made some better choices locating your cities. The rest of the country won’t be punished for your poor decision making. If you don’t like the air quality, don’t live there.
I guess the point of this liberal crying is to get rid of diesel trucks. Well, California is the biggest failure as a state because of it’s liberal leanings. It’s millions in debt and this business-killing idea would make things worse. Failures.
Hall, Jane SGMH-3390 Economics
Yep, just like a Hollywood Happy Ending.
I’m not disagreeing with you about that. Read my post again. People there can tell when China’s pollution hits the coast.
That will be next. First our woodstoves, then our cows. They will already have us all out of our cars and using mass transit. The nearest bus stop to my place is 14 miles away, one mile from my workplace. Some times I look at whats happening and wonder what became of the state I was born in. The California of today certainly isn’t it.
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