Cities as diverse as Los Angeles, Atlanta, Syracuse and San Diego have all committed to replacing their existing diesel fleets with natural gas buses. Yet the University continues to haggle, indecisive over whether to follow their lead or invest in yet more dirty diesel technology. We believe they should make the clear choice, the clean choice and opt for natural gas. For the first time in years, the University is in the process of replacing its entire fleet of almost 40 buses. The few that they've ordered so far have unfortunately all been diesel.
Diesel exhaust is a virtual encyclopedia of the most toxic compounds on the planet.
According to the state of California, of the 188 air pollutants the Environmental Protection Agency has designated as toxic at least 41 are present in diesel exhaust. The effects of these toxins on the human body can be gruesome, ranging from blood disorders to reproductive problems to immune system failure. And at least half the listed air toxins are known or suspected carcinogens. Just how many people are mauled by these contaminants every year isn't certain, but there are indications. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, for example, calculated the cancer risk due to diesel particulates as a whopping 71 percent of the total cancer risk in the greater Los Angeles area.