AIR POLLUTION REPORT

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SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENVIR. POLLUTION

VERLYN MARTH, COSTA MESA, CALIF
b FEB 1917

AM

AIR POLLUTION IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN WHERE I LIVE IS AT A DISASTER LEVEL, AND CONTRARY TO AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DISTRICT PROPOGANDA, IS GETTING WORSE. I Am SICK FROM SMOG IN ORANGE 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 AIRAT BY THE POLLUTERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO STRIKE DOWN EVEN THE WADEQUATE 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 WORSENS 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 MINNESITA. LAST SPRING WHEN LEAVING WE WERE IN THE DAWN WIND POISONOUS PLOMĒ 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 119ST OF THE DESERT AND INDIAN COUNTRY. BAIK IN MINNESITA :50 MILES FROM THE ST. PAUL - MINNEAPOLIS AREA I WAS RAPOSED TO THREE INCIDENTS OF OXIDANT - NO2 INDUCED ILLNESS, 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 -ISNITE POWER PLANTS, AND THE APPROACH TO RIVER IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE UGLY, HAZARDOUS YELLOW-BROWN STAIN EXTENDING A HUNDRED MILES

THE

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 Bistis Cormozidity, INCLUDING MAN, ORIGINATED IN.

FOR FIVE YEARS I HAVE TRACKED MY OWN SMIG iLLNESS INTENSITY AGAINST QUANTITATIVE LEVELS OF AIR POLLUTION EXISTENT IN THE 1-2S ANGELES BASIN. I AM PART OF THE 5 TO 10% OF THE POPULATION THAT IS BRY 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 IF 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 DIA. If I WERE TO STAY IN THE LOS ANGELES BASIN I'D BE DICK 1/2 TO 2/3 OF THE DAYS OF THE YEAR. YET THESE ARE ONLY 5 то 10 SMOO ALERTS CALLED A YEAR HERE. SOMETHING is WRONG. THERE IS A DELIBERATE ATTEMPT IN THIS COUNTRY TO SUPPRESS OR DISCredit tuocating

IF HOW BAD AIR Pillyrian ISTO DAY.

THE SECOND RESUNT OF THIS SURVEY, AND PERHAPS THE MJST IMPORTANT เร THAT NO2 IS ONE OF THE PRINCIPLE DE STROYERS OF RESPIRATKY HEALTH SOUTHER CALIFORNIA TO DAY. I GET SICK AT LEV8; JP 3.07 OR 0.08 PPM of Noz Ensad upon an HIDEN AVERAGE. THE Campania STANDARD IS 5.25, 299 No9

84-239 O 77-5

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

AS LONG AS ANYONE IS SICK FROM SHOP IN THIS
SDINTRY I CANNOT ACCEPT AN EASEMENT OF THE SCHEDULES
ITND STANDARDS NECESSARY TO CLEAN UP THE EXISTENT
TOXIC AIR SITUATION. WHAT IS PARTICULARILY OFFENSIVE
1. THE BLACKMAIL OUR LAW MARIND PROCESSES ARE BEING
JUWELTED TO BY THE AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER: AND
UTILITIES IN THEIR RAJEN-SHOD DRIVE TO KILL EFFECTIVE
EMISSION RULES. TWENTY YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE SMOG
VITIA LLY BE CAME A PRIE-EM AND CARS STILL CONSTITUTE
THE PRINCIPLE SOURCE OF DIRTY AIR. FEW DENY ITS
KUANN AND DEMONSTRATED HAZARD. WHY THEN SHOULD
THERE BE ANY MORE DELAY IN REAL IMPLEMENTATION

SF EMISSION STAND ARDS? THE HONDA ε llanys DesiONS
ARE OPERATIONAL TODAY. SHOULDN'T AN OUTFIT LIKE
GENERAL MOTORS DO BETTER? AND IF THEY DO NOT
WO SO VOLUNTARIM MUST NOT CONGRESS MANDATE THAT
IMPROVEMENT UNTIL NO ONE IS SICK IN This GunTRY
prim smob? THE AUTOMABILE EMISSION STANDARDS
iri/D SCHEDULES SHOULD BE HELD AND TIGHTENED. IT
IS PARTICULARILY IMPORTANT THAT THE NO2 LIMITS BE LOWERED.
RAPIDLY OVERTAKING THE AUTOMOBILE AS A HEALTH
HMPACTING POLLUTER OF AIR ARE THE COAL AND SIL
CIRNING POWER PLANTS. THESE MONSTERS ARE LIKE A
CANCER, SPREADING WITHOUT CONTROL. THEIR EFFECTS
ARE PARTICULARILY IMMORAL BECAUSE THEY ARE thening

JELIBERATELY BEING SITED IN PURE-AIR ARBAS

TOP

OF RURAL

OF THE MORE

AND ONE

OR WITHOUT PEOPLE AGAINST THEIR WILL OF THEIR DESTRUCTIVE NATURE. THESE TRUE DISCLOSURE METHODS AND END RESULTS ARE A CALLOUS VANDALISM. I PERSONALLY BELIEVE THE PLUNDER OF RURAL AMBRICA'S CLEAN AIR BY THE UTILITIES IS ONE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN OUR NATION TODAY OF THE MOST UNETHICAL ACTS CONDIBUABLE. THE Miuskities IF RURAL PEOPLE BEING GROUND UP BY THE SKEEL AND ARROGANCE OF THE POWER PEDDLERS DESPERATELY NEED PROTECTION BY LAW. THERE gilLY INE INTRAL POSITION ACCEPTABLE WITH REGARD TO PANER PLANTS THOSE THAT USE THE ENERGY MUST BEAR ITS BIKBEN. THE SUB COMMITTEE IS URGED TO IMPLEMENT A POLICY FORBIDDING DEGRADATION OF EXISTING AREAS OF CLBAN AIR. AND YO ARE ASKED TO REDUCE BY AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE THE TONNA DE OF TOXIC CASEJUS EMISSIONS RATHER THAN ALLOWING UTILITIES TO SPREAD THEIR FOUL EFFLUENT OVER THOUSANDS OF SQUARE MILES WITH THEIR VELIFYING STACKS.

THE ULTIMATE

ISSUE IS NOT WHETHER WE with
HAVE EITHER CLEAN HEALTHY AIR, OR CARS JOBS AND
ELECTRIC LIGHTS. THE ISSUE IS SIMPLY WHETHER OR
1ST WE WIL DO THINGS RIGHT, USING THE TECHNOLOGY

AND INDUSTRIAL

CAPABILITY TO HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS.

IF WE CANNOT FIND THAT WAY WE SHALL TRASICALLY
SE USING THE HIDDEN SUBSIDY OF ROTTED LUNOS AND
AN ASSAULTED, WASTED LAND TO ACQUIRE WHEELS
AND THE ELECTRIC CANOPENER. THAT IS NOT A REASONABLE
EXCHANGE.