The American Lung Association (ALA) has welcomed the news that diesel emissions regulations for heavy-duty trucks in New York have been tightened.

On Wednesday (17th June), the Environmental Board announced that some 30,000 vehicles must install retrofits to reduce harmful particulate emissions by the end of 2010.

Reacting to the news, Michael Seilback, Vice-President of Public Policy and Communications at the ALA, explained that the changes will make a huge difference to the state.

He said: "New York continues to lead the nation in the number of deaths and disease caused by diesel exhaust and today's regulations help address a major source of diesel pollution.

"However, for the millions of New Yorkers who struggle to breathe every day, implementation of this law cannot come soon enough."

Meanwhile, a new study released yesterday by the Coordinating Research Council has suggested that emissions are down by over 90 per cent in the newest diesel trucks and buses.

Rigorous tests were conducted on a number of engines designed in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency's Heavy-Duty On-Highway Diesel Emissions Rule of 2001.

The results show that fine particulate matter emissions were 99 per cent lower than the legal limit for 2004 vehicles and almost 90 per cent lower than those built in accordance with the new national standards of 2007.

In addition, the project - known as the Phase 1 Report of the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study - revealed that nitrogen oxide emissions were 70 per cent lower than before and ten per cent under current requirements.

Devices designed to reduce diesel particulate matter - which use pgms as catalysts - are viewed as crucial to minimising the negative impact of such emissions on human health.

Sources:

Lung Association Welcomes Approval of Regulations to Clean Up Diesel Pollution (17/06/09)

Extensive Emissions Tests of Newest Diesel Truck and Bus Engines Finds Dramatically Lower Emissions of Key Pollutants (18/06/09)

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