4. HIGHEST RISK COUNTIES IN THE STATE
COUNTY New York Kings Bronx Queens Richmond Westchester
RISK 421 320 318 281 195 150
5. RISK FACTOR AND SOURCE OF TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS
OF CONCERN IN NEW YORK COUNTY, NY
Air Toxic Risk Source Percentage
1,3 Butadiene 176 Mobile 70%
Formaldehyde 64 Mobile 55%
Area 42%
Benzene 53 Mobile 70%
Chromium 43 Area 47%
Mobile 31%
Nickel 20 Area 68%
Carbon Tetrachloride 13 Area 100%
Mobile Sources: Cars, trucks, buses, tractors, etc.
Point Sources: Large factories and other major industrial sources
Area Sources: Small factories, dry cleaners, gas stations, etc.
6. KEY
*The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed benchmarks for "safe"
concentrations of toxics in air, levels at which one person in one million is at risk
of developing cancer. Key represents the risk factor for a combination of 31 toxics
as a multiple of EPA's safe level (e.g. darkest shade indicates levels more than 400
times EPA's safe concentrations). See the chart on the next slide for a list of the
31 toxics.
7. Air Pollution in NYC
Diesel engines*
Gasoline Engines
New Jersey Industry
Port of New York
Airports
Helicopters
Smoking
Dry cleaning
Chemical industries
* These include stationary engines like generators
and pumps , and off-road as well as on-road
engines.
8. Everyone in the NY metropolitan area breathes air that
fails to meet EPA health standards, and many New
Yorkers suffer serious health impacts from breathing that
dirty air.
• One million people in New York City, including
300,000 children, have been diagnosed with asthma.
• Air pollution from mobile sources, like construction
equipment, contributes to over 90% of the air cancer
risk in New York County.
• Nearly 1 in 4 children in east Harlem suffer from
asthma; the worst rate in the country.
• The costs of asthma hospitalization in New York
City totaled more than $242 million in 2000.
15. • In a study of newborns and their mothers in
New York City, scientists found that
developing babies had accumulated a
relatively high number of genetic
mutations, and they linked the mutations to
emissions from vehicles and other sources
of urban pollution.
Perera, F.P. et al. Biomarkers in maternal and newborn blood indicate
heightened fetal susceptibility to procarcinogenic DNA damage.
Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 112, pp. 1133-1136 (July 2004).
16. In 1999, nonroad diesel engines, like construction
equipment, in the New York metropolitan area emitted
more tons of particulate matter than nonroad vehicles
than in any other major U.S. city.
������ Using clean fuel, ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (15 ppm), and
tailpipe retrofits can cut pollution from construction
vehicles at City construction sites up to 90%.
������ The technology needed to cut pollution from construction
vehicles is increasingly easy to use and, as the market grows,
will become even more cost-effective than it already is today.
������ Retrofit costs are very low - a few thousand dollars -
compared to the acquisition cost of a piece of construction
machinery, which can easily be in the six digits.
17. Local Law 77
• Local Law 77 is an effective plan to
improve air quality in New York City and
will have many favorable effects on
asthma, heart attack, stroke, sudden
death, cancer in children and adults.
• It will prevent lost work time and the
economic damage that results.
• Costs from air pollution related illness and
hospitalization will be cut dramatically.
18. Think about other sources of air pollution!
Similarly, Staten Islanders are exposed to
air pollutants emitted from nearby Newark
Airport and many northeastern New Jersey
industries. Helicopters in New York City are
also a persistent source of air pollution, as
emissions from helicopters are essentially
unregulated.
League of Conservation Voters
19. A Future We Can Make Real
A comprehensive plan to clean the air is
needed. It must look at the Port of New York,
roads, airports, helicopters and even dry
cleaners and other users of chemical toxins.
Real courage and conviction has curtailed
smoking in public places in NYC. The City’s
air can be cleaned. With clear thinking and
planning it will be affordable and save far
more than it will cost.
