EPA Urged to Clean Up Toxic Pollution from Diesel Ships and Trains
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Environmental Defense, a leading environmental group, has urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize overdue new standards to reduce toxic pollution from diesel trains and ships by the end of the year. The new emission standards would apply to the nation's fleet of diesel locomotive engines, tugs, barges, ferries and recreational marine engines. The purpose of the new controls aims to reduce particulate pollution and smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from each engine by 80-95 percent.
NOx emissions cause a wide variety of health and environmental impacts. Children, people with lung diseases such as asthma, and people who work or exercise outside are susceptible to adverse effects such as damage to lung tissue and reduction in lung function. Ozone can be transported by wind currents and cause health impacts far from original sources.
Other impacts include damaged vegetation and reduced crop yields because of various compounds and derivatives in the family of nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid, nitrous oxide, nitrates, and nitric oxide.
"Trains and ships have long been a subject of interest for kids, but in fact they are producing tons of pollution that is a threat to their health," says Bob Carroll, CEO of the Biofriendly Corporation, manufacturer of Green Plus, a liquid fuel catalyst that has been proven to enhance fuel economy and lower harmful emissions. Biofriendly's Green Plus is designed for use in diesel, gasoline and other hydrocarbon-based fuels.
In 2006, locomotives released as much smog -forming pollution (nitrogen oxides) as 120 coal-fired power plants and as much particulate pollution as 70 coal-fired plants each year.
Commercial shipping is responsible for about 1 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 40,000 tons of particulate pollution. Since diesel engines last for decades, there is a pressing need to clean up particulate and smog-forming pollution from both locomotive and marine existing engines when they are rebuilt.
Finding new "biofriendly" solutions that will lower the NOx emissions from locomotive and marine engines will go a long way towards fulfilling the standards on toxic pollution from diesel engines called for by environmental groups.
Jim D’Arezzo is Senior Vice-President of Marketing for Biofriendly Corporation. He has a 30-year history of bringing successful new technologies to market. For more information, visit http://www.biofriendly.com
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