Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Air Quality

Dying to Get to Work

1:01 PM EDT on July 27, 2007

commute.jpg

As New York State sets up a commission to study the costs and benefits of New York City's congestion pricing proposal, a new study by the Clean Air Task Force finds that, for many New Yorkers, the greatest exposure to dangerous and unhealthy air pollution comes during the daily commute. "Although we spend only about six percent of our day commuting to and
from work, it is during that time when we receive over half of our
exposure" to diesel exhaust, researchers found.

CATF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring the environment through scientific research, public education, and legal advocacy. They are responsible for research at New York University that linked asthma rates in the Bronx to traffic pollution.

This more recent study investigates the levels of diesel particles during commutes in several cities (Austin, Boston, Columbus and New York City). CATF measured pollutant levels during commutes by car, transit bus, commuter train, ferry, and while walking. One surprise among the findings is that pollution levels measured inside cars, buses and trains were many time greater that levels in the air outside at the same time.

The report makes several recommendations like banning the use of diesel in underground tunnels and installing catalyzed diesel particulate filters which can reduce exhaust by 90%. New York City's diesel-electric hybrid buses were singled out as a possible solution because their exhaust levels were barely detectable.

The report found that even short exposures to these harmful pollutants have a wide range of serious health effects. Only a few hours of breathing diesel particles may lead to:

    • Irritation of nose and eyes, respiratory/lung function changes, cough, headache, fatigue and nausea.
    • Pulmonary inflammation found after one hour of exposure to diesel exhaust.
    • Increased risk of pulmonary inflammation to asthmatics after two hours of exposure.
    • Adverse cardiovascular effects. Changes in heart rate variability, heartbeat and blood indices were recorded in North Carolina Highway troopers exposed to elevated in-vehicle particulate matter during midnight to 9 AM shifts.
    • Doubled risk of death due to stroke. Risk increased by a factor greater than two within two hours of exposure to high levels of fine particles in a Japanese study.
    • Suppressed defense mechanisms and increased susceptibility to lung bacterial infection for a week after exposure. Rats exposed to diesel exhaust for four hours per day for five days experienced prolonged growth of bacteria in the lung during exposure.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Cycle of Rage: Mayor is Failing the Leadership Test on Congestion Pricing

Purely for political and self-serving purposes, Mayor Adams is attacking congestion pricing — and, in doing so, is undermining the implementation of a program that he has long claimed to be a "strong" supporter of.

December 1, 2023

New York City is Down One MTA Board Member as Mayor Fights Congestion Pricing Fee

Sherif Soliman, who was appointed to the board only last year, quietly resigned on Sept. 22, and the mayor won't get a new person on the panel until next year.

December 1, 2023

Friday’s Headlines: A Congestion Alert Day

Like everyone else, we covered congestion pricing. Plus other news.

December 1, 2023

Adams Says He’ll Ban Parking Near 1,000 Intersections Every Year To Make Corners Safer

The city will daylight 1,000 intersections a year. A Brooklyn corner where a boy was killed in a crash is still waiting for the safety upgrades.

December 1, 2023

Komanoff: IMHO, TMRB is A-OK

Here’s what’s to like about the Traffic Mobility Review Board's central business district toll recommendations. It's a lot!

December 1, 2023
See all posts