AIR POLLUTION REPORT

То

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIR. POLLUTION

VERLYN MARTH, COSTA MESA, CALIF

b FEB 1917

AIR POLLUTION IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN WHERE I LIVE IS AT A DISASTER LEVEL, AND CONTRARY TO AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT PROPOSANFA, IS GETTING WORSE. I Am SICK FROM SMOG IN DRANGE COUNTY MORE THAN ZOO DAYS A YEAR. YET WE ARE ALLOWING OURSELVES TO ENTER A SECOND HUMAN GENERATION OF FILTHY AIR CONDITIONS. Now A NEW ASSAULT IS BEING MOUNTED UPON THE CLEAN AIRACT BY THE POLLUTERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO STRIKE DOWN EVEN THE INADEQUATE AND DELAYED STANDARDS IT IMPOSED. IT IS A MADNESS AND A STAIN OF SHAME UPON US ALL.

AS THE POLLUTION IN THE LOS ANGELES AREA WORSEN'S IN THE SUMMER I AM USUALLY DRIVEN OUT IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIND SURVIVABLE CLEAN AIR CONDITIONS. I USUALLY GO BACK TO A FARM IN MINNESOTA. LAST SPRING WHEN LEAVING WE WERE IN THE DOWNWIND POISONOUS PLOME FRIM Los ANOBLES, ORANGE, AND RIVERSIVE COUNTIES FOR A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES. THEN THIS PONENTION MERGED WITH THE FETID ATMOSPHERE FROM COAL ELECTRIC PLANTS FOR 11.9ST OF THE DESERT AND INDIAN COUNTRY. BAK IN MINNESOTA :50 MILES FROM THE ST. PAUL - MINNEAPOLIS AREA I WAS BAPOSED TO THREE INCIDENTS OF OXIDANT - NO2 INDUCED JLLNESS, A NEW PHENOMONON OF ་་ "PROGRESS" FOR THE FARM COUNTRY. ON A TRIP TO FORMALLY PRISTINE NORTH DAKOTA THE WHOLE MISSOURI VALLEY WAS FILLED WITH DIRTY AIR FROM LIGNITE POWER PLANTS, AND THE APPROACH TO THE RIVER IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE UGLY, HAZARDOUS YELLOW-BROWN STAIN EXTENDING A HUNDRED MILES

LIKE A MASSIVE HARBINGER OF MANS FOOLISHNESS, ON
THE WAY BACK WEST THIS FALL THERE WAS AN Air
POLLUTION ALERT IN DENVER COLORADO WITH ITS MOUNTAIN
WINDS AND WEATHER-SCRUBBED SKIES. IN ROCK SPRINGS
WYOMING THE CLEAR HIGH PLAINS AIR WAS GONE,
REPLACED BY THE CORRUPTION OF FLUE GASES THRIJON
THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN BASIN. IT APPEARS THE FUTURE
WILL NO LONGER AFFORD A HEALTHY SHIELD OF THE
FUNDAMENTAL AIR QUALITY THAT THE Biori, Community,
INCLUDING MAN, ORIGINATED IN.

FOR FIVE YEARS I HAVE TRACKED MY OWN SMIG
iLLNESS INTENSITY AGAINST QUANTITATIVE LEVELS OF
AIR POLLUTION EXISTENT IN THE 1-S ANGELES BASIN. I Am
PART OF THE 5 TO 10% OF THE POPULATION THAT IS VERY
SENSITIVE TO AIR POLLUTION EFFECTS ONE OF THE
ADVANCED INDICATORS THAT I'M AFRAID ARE PROTOTYPES
FOR A MUCH HIGHER FERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
TO BE RELEGATED TO POLLUTION ILLNESS. THE RESULTS
OF THAT SURVEY INDICATES THAT THE FEDBRAL AND STATE
LEVELS OF BOTH STANDARDS AND HEALTH ADVISORY
'WARNINGS ARE TRAGICALLY DEFICIENT. THEY ARE SET
FAR HIGHER THAN THE POINT WHERE I GET SILA. IF
I WERE TO STAY IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN I'D BE
VICK 1/2 TO 4/3 OF THE DAYS OF THE YEAR. YET THERE
ARE ONLY 5 то 10 SMOG ALERTS CALLED A YEAR HERE.
SOMETHING is WRONG. THERE IS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT
IN THIS COUNTRY TO SUPPRESS OR Discredit quocating
OF HOW BAD AIR POLLUTION IS TODAY.

THE SECOND RESUNT OF THIS SURVEY, AND PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT, 15 THAT NO2 IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE DE STROYRAS OF RESPIRATIKY HEALTH IN SOUTHER CALIF SKOIA TO day. I bet SICK AT LEVBYý OF 3.07 OR 0.08 PPM Of Noz EASBD UPON AN HIJKAN AVERAGE. THE CAMPEDIA STANDARD IS 5.25, 2991a

84-239 077-5

www

OF THAT LEVEL. THE FEDERAL STANDARD

IS A YEARLY

ONE AND EFFECTIVELY USELESS. No2 WITHOUT QUESTION JOINS
OXIDANT AND SO2 AS MAJOR AIR POLLUTION HEALTH
HAZARDS IN THIS COUNTRY. IN CALIF. IT IS PARTICULARLY
BAD IN FALL AND EARLY WINTER WHEN TEMPERATURES
AND OXIDANTS ARE DOWN. You MUST NOT COMPROMISE
24 LEGISLATION THE NO2 E MISSION STANDARDS FOR
SOURCES. THE E.P.A. MUST COME UP WITH HEALTH NO2
STANDARDS THAT REFLECT ITS TRUE HAZARD TO HUMANS.

DUR

AS LONG AS ANYONE IS SICK FROM SMOG IN THIS SCUNTRY I CANNOT ALLEPT AN EASEMENT OF THE SCHEDULES IND STANDARDS NECESSARY TO CLEAN UP THE EXISTENT TOXIC AIR SITUATION. WHAT is PARTICULARILY OFFENSIVE 1. THE BLACKMAIL LAW MARUUD PROCESSES ARE BEING AND SVWELTED TO BY THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER: UTILITIES IN THEIR RAJEN-SMOD DRIVE TO KILL EFFECTIVE EMISSION RULES. TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE SMOG VITIALLY BE CAME A PRIE-EM AND CARS STILL CONSTITUTE THE PRINCIPLE SOURCE OF DIRTY AIR. FEW DENY KUANN AND DEMONSTRATED HAZARD. THERE BE ANY MORE DELAY IN RBAL IMPLEMENTATION OF EMISSION STANDARDS? THE HONDA ε llanys DESIGNS ARE OPERATIONAL TODAY. SHOULDN'T AN OUTFIT LIKE GENERAL MOTOR; DO BETTER? AND IF THEY DO NOT TO SO VOLUNTARILY MUST NOT COMERBS) MANUATE THAT IMPROVEMENT UNTIL Nɔ ɔNE በኃ SICK IN THis Country Ruim smoa? THE AUTɔmabile EMISSION STANDARDS

ITS WHY THEN SHOULD

iPHD SCHEDULES SHOULD BE HELD AND TIGHTENED. Ir
IS PARTICULARILY IMPORTANT THAT THE NO2 LIMITS BE LOWERED.
RAPIDLY OVERTAKING THE AUTOMOBILE AS A HEALTH
IMPACTING POLLUTER OF AIR ARE THE COAL AND OIL
CIRNING POWER PLANTS. THESE MONSTERS ARE LIKE A
CANCER, SPREADING WITHOUT CONTROL. THEIR EFFECTS
AKE PARTICULARILY IMMORAL BECAUSE THEY ARE th
JELIBERATELY BRING SITED IN PURE-AIR ARBAS

PEOPLE

will

AND ONE

OF RURAL
OR WITHOUT
AGAINST THEIR
TRUE DISCLOSURE OF THEIR DESTRUCTIVE NATURE. THESE
METHODS AND END RESULTS ARE A CALLOUS VANDAMSm. I
PERSONALLY BELIEVE THE PLUNDER OF RURAL AMBRICA'S
CLEAN AIR BY THE UTILITIES IS ONE OF THE FAJRE
SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN OUR NATION TODAY
OF THE MOST UNETHICAL ACTS CONSIBJABLE. THE MIVJkities
OF RURAL PEOPLE BEING GROUND UP BY THE SKEEL AND
ARROGANCE OF THE POWER PEDDLERS DESPERATELY
NEED PROTECTION BY LAW. THERE SILY INE MOR
POSITION ACCEPTABLE WITH REGARD TO PANER PLANTS.
THOSE THAT USE THE ENERGY MUST BEAR IT'S BIKBEN.
THE SUB COMMITTEE IS URGED TO IMPLEMENT A POLICY
FORBIDDING DEGRADATION OF EXISTING AREAS OF CIBAN
AIR. AND You ARE ASKED TO REDUCE BY AN ORDER
OF MAGNITUDE THE TONNAGE OF TOXIL CASEDUS EMISSIONS
RATHER THAN ALLOWING UTILITIES TO SPREAD THEIR
FOUL EFFLUENT OVER THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES WITH
THEIR UGLIFYING STACKS.

THE ULTIMATE ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER WE with
HAVE EITHER CLEAN HEALTHY AIR, OR CARS JOBS AND
ELECTRIC LIGHTS. THE ISSUE 15 SIMPLY WHETHER OR
115T WE WILL
DO THINGS RIGHT, USING THE TECHNOLOGY
AND INDUSTRIAL CAPABILITY TO HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS.
IF WE
CANNOT FIND THAT WAY WE SHALL TRAGICALLY
SE USING THE HIDDEN SUBSIDY OF ROTTED LUNGS AND
AN ASSAULTED, WASTED LAND TO ACQUIRE WHEELS
AND THE ELECTRIC CAN OPENER. THAT IS NOT A REASONABLE
EXCHANGE.