Study says California diesel responsible for 1,100 premature deaths
Overpopulation plaguing your state? Follow California’s lead and kill ’em off! A Union of Concerned Scientists study says diesel emissions from old construction equipment contributed to 1,100 premature deaths and half a million sick days in California in 2005, costing an estimated $9.1 billion. “Construction equipment being used to build our hospitals shouldn’t fill them up,” says UCS author Don Anair. Unless, of course, it’s some sort of state-sanctioned plan. A second study published in Cardiology says people with clogged arteries face a higher risk of heart attack after a day or two of exposure to diesel pollution. Currently, California emissions standards apply to about 30 percent of building equipment; on Monday, the state’s Air Resources Board issued draft rules that would require older construction, industrial, and mining equipment to be replaced or retrofit between 2009 and 2020. By which time, the old machines will no doubt have brought population numbers down to a manageable level.
