REMARKS
Idling and its impact on air quality and public health
0:01:28
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75 sec
Council Member Gennaro explains the negative effects of idling gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles on air quality and public health, particularly focusing on criteria air pollutants and ozone formation.
- Idling produces criteria air pollutants that harm public health, especially affecting respiratory health
- Children are particularly vulnerable to airborne pollutants
- New York City is still in 'serious non-attainment' for ozone levels according to Clean Air Act standards
- Ground-level ozone formation and its damaging effects on respiratory tissue are explained
James F. Gennaro
0:01:28
The idling of gasoline and diesel powered motor vehicles produces so called criteria air pollutants as they are referred to in the clean air act.
0:01:37
That harm public health.
0:01:39
Any exposure to these criteria pollutants can inflate and irritate the respiratory tract resulting in coughing, aggravation of asthma symptoms, and other conditions.
0:01:51
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of airborne pollutants, which is why the city's anti idling efforts have targeted schools and parks.
0:02:00
Although the city has made considerable improvements in air quality over the last several decades, New York City region is still in so called serious non attainment according to the standard set by the Clean Air Act for ozone with concentrations that are up to 50% higher than those recommended by the EPA.
0:02:21
Grand level ozone is formed when nitrogen oxides and volatile organic count compounds like those in car exhaust reacts with each other in sunlight and in high temperatures.
0:02:35
Ozone is an unstable molecule consisting of 3 oxygen atoms, which damaged respiratory tissue through the process of oxidation.
