Every day, one San Diego County resident dies from vehicle pollution and roughly one new pediatric asthma case emerges, a report published Monday by the International Council on Clean Transportation showed.
Statewide, vehicle pollution leads to more than 8,300 premature deaths and 5,500 new pediatric asthma cases annually.
“That’s not surprising because California is home to some of the country’s most dangerous transportation pollution hotspots,” said Josh Miller, one of the study’s authors.
In San Diego, transportation is the largest source of fossil fuel emissions. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, such as eighteen-wheelers, large-box trucks, transit buses and school buses, are the top emitters, Miller said.
“San Diego County also has the fifth-highest number of warehouses among counties in California,” said Miller. “So, there is a very clear connection between the freight infrastructure and activity and the health burden that we’re seeing.”
Researchers quantified emission rates, such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, using satellite data and mobile plume chasing technology, where a vehicle equipped with emissions sensors captures a sampling of another vehicle’s exhaust plume. That data is then used to calculate health damages, such as asthma.
What makes vehicle pollution especially damaging is where pollution is emitted, said Lingzhi Jin, one of the report’s researchers.
“Emissions happen right along freeways and ports, near freight distribution hubs and in the densest neighborhoods,” she said, adding, “which is also why kids living near freeways and freight hubs might end up carrying so much of this asthma burden.”
The study argues that deaths linked to vehicle pollution are expected to decline gradually as zero-emission vehicles become more widespread.
In San Diego County, transitions to zero emissions are underway. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, for example, has 40 battery-electric buses in service and is expected to add nearly two dozen more this year. In El Cajon, the Helix Water District unveiled in March a massive charging depot in preparation for the state’s 2030 deadline prohibiting state and local agencies from purchasing new, gas -and diesel-powered vehicles for their fleets.
In California, Miller said greater health benefits will depend on how fast the transition happens, especially after the federal government’s proposal to delay enforcement of a regulation requiring significant cuts in air pollution from vehicles.
“The key questions are really how quickly can we electrify? And, especially, how quickly can we electrify trucks,” he said. “Those are, really, a disproportionate contributor to air pollution.”
He said California could fund more incentive programs “to build the case for electrifying trucks” and that charging infrastructure should be built quickly.
Miller also said consumers should consider going electric when shopping for their next car.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new state budget includes offering $3,500 in instant rebates to new electric vehicle buyers. Lawmakers were slated to vote on the state budget Monday.
