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Home , Pollution in California

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND LEADERSHIP September 2018

Issue At A Glance:

Outdoor Air in is an imminent threat that causes adverse health outcomes. In the last 50 years, California and the rest of the have made significant progress in effectively regulating the emission standards that to toxic air pollution. Many of those beneficial policies are now under threat.

According to the American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2018” report, 11 out of 25 of the most polluted cities in America are in Accomplishments of the California.1 While California’s large population contributes to the release California Air of various , the mountainous terrains and warm climate trap Resources Board6 the substances and speed up chemical reactions that further produce harmful chemical mixtures.2 California’s air pollution is created from • Created the first motor vehicle emissions standards in 1966 which both natural and anthropogenic (human-made) sources. motivated automotive companies Air pollution has short-term and long-term effects on human health that to find innovative ways to improve range from irritation and illness to an array of chronic diseases and efficiency premature death.3 According to the Marron Institute of Urban • Promoted cleaner that Management from New York University and the American Thoracic releases fewer pollutants into the Society, 609 deaths occur each year in the Metropolitan air; in 1992, California became the Area (Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario) as a result of pollution. first state to ban the mixing of lead in gasoline Annually, in this region, more than 1,000 emergency room visits and hospitalizations occur as a result of air pollution, and nearly 1.1 million • Created diesel fuel regulations in school and workdays are impacted as a result of the symptoms.4 1993 • Made a requirement that ten Despite the startling statistics, California the nation in emission percent of California vehicles standards. In 2006, California passed the Global Warming Solutions Act manufactured after 2003 had to be that set a goal of reducing green house gas pollution levels by 30 percent zero emission vehicles (ZEV); to 427 metric tons by 2020. That goal was met this year.5 However, there similarly, 15 percent of all buses is still room for improvement. made after 2008 were required to be ZEV This report will highlight the causes and effects of air pollution, associated disparities leading to issues, and relevant policies in California.

Bringing wholeness to individuals and communities, the Institute for Health Policy and Leadership (IHPL) strives to integrate health policy research and education with leadership development. Our goal is to improve the health of our communities by building on our strong heritage of health promotion and disease prevention. To learn more, visit us at www.IHPL.llu.edu

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND LEADERSHIP September 2018

Common Causes of Air Pollution The federal bill known as the Clean Air Act of 1963 gave the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to develop National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six common air pollutants: , lead, dioxide, sulfur dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter.7

Each of these pollutants has various sources. Some of the major emitters include motor vehicles, large industrial complexes, consumer products (paints and aerosols), off-road vehicles, and power plants. Most of these involve the incomplete burning of fossil fuels that creates a toxic byproduct such as those mentioned above.8 The two pollutants of most concern to the public health are ozone and particulate matter.9 The ozone is formed when various chemicals released from cars, power plants, and chemical plants interact on sunny days. Ozone is also the main component in .10 Particulate matter consists of liquid and solid pollution particles that are released into the air in the form of dust, smoke, or soot. The EPA classifies two different kinds of particulate matter based on size: PM10 particles are less than 10 micrometers while PM2.5 particles are less than 2.5 micrometers.9 General Health Effects of Air Pollution Health Effects from Short-term Exposure (Days to Weeks) The toxicity of air pollution causes a range of immediate symptoms that include irritation of the eyes, nose, and skin. Dizziness, headaches, and nausea can also occur along with flu-like symptoms such as or .11-13 Short-term exposure can also exacerbate preexisting conditions such as or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Finally, stroke and sudden cardiac arrest can lead to premature death.14

Health Effects from Long-term Exposure (Years) Over time, air pollution can cause damage to the respiratory, cardiovascular, and nervous system. It can also induce asthma in children. Heart diseases, organ failure, and cancer can ultimately lead to premature death.11,15

California Wildfires Adversely Affect Air Quality Everywhere The 2018 wildfires of California occurred as a result of dead trees, exceedingly high temperatures, and dryness. Aside from the destruction of over 1 million acres and the deaths of 14 people, the fires contributed to the drastic increase in air pollutants. The Crocker

Nuclear Laboratory estimates that the amount of PM2.5 created by the

fires was equivalent to the total amount of PM2.5 released from cars in California in the entire year of 2014.16 Some of the smoke reached the East Coast due to strong winds in the Earth’s atmosphere where it led 2 17 to elevated air pollutant levels. INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND LEADERSHIP September 2018

Specific Health Effects of Ozone and PM Ozone A study of 95 urban cities in the US over a 14-year period (1987-2000) revealed that with every 10 parts per billion (ppb) increase of ozone from the prior week, there was a 0.52 percent increase in the number of people dying on a daily basis. In 1997, the EPA reduced ozone emission standards from a maximum California’s of 120 ppb per hour to a maximum of 80 ppb over an 8-hour period.18 Environmental Policies

Particulate Matter Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA can set the national A 2-year study analyzing the effects of particulate ambient air quality standards and regulate motor matter on children (ages 5-20) with Medicaid vehicle emission standards. The law allows states to insurance found that for every 1 microgram per cubic develop their own ambient air quality standards if they meter increase, asthma-related ER visits increased by are more stringent or contain additional standards than 1.7 percent and asthma-related hospitalizations those set forth by the EPA.7 increased by 2.3 percent.19 In California, the California Air Resource Board (CARB), a department in the California EPA, sets the Air Pollution and rules and standards for air pollution. California is the Vulnerable Populations only state in the country that is allowed to set its own emission standards for vehicles because of a waiver Multiple studies show that negative health effects of that was granted in 1967.24 Thirteen states and the air pollution are strongly correlated with race and low District of Columbia adopted California’s more socioeconomic status (SES).20 For one, race/ethnicity stringent standards. can be considered a predisposing factor for health Recently, there have been several proposed rules to issues such as asthma and that can be decrease environmental regulation standards in the exacerbated by air pollution.21 Moreover, areas with United States.25 Earlier this month, the Trump lower SES tend to have a higher degree of direct administration proposed to reduce the vehicle mileage exposure to pollution emission from nearby power limit goals that were set forth by the Obama plants and highways.22 Often, this is because these administration from an average of 54 miles per gallon areas tend to be cheaper to purchase and build plants by 2025 to 34 miles per gallon by 2021. Moreover, this and there aren’t enough resources or power in these rule would eliminate California’s ability to create its communities to resist corporations.21 own vehicle emission standards.26 Additionally, the Trump administration’s Affordable Clean Energy At times, the infrastructure and planning decisions for proposal is expected to increase the number of cases of power plants do not show sensitivity towards the respiratory problems by 15,000 and the number of dynamic interplay of low SES, race, and air pollution.23 annual premature deaths to 1,400 by 2030.27 Such When environmental regulations fail to treat all people changes will undo much of the progress made thus far, equally, it is considered an environmental injustice. worsening the quality of air we breathe. 3

INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND LEADERSHIP September 2018

Protecting our Future Did you know? According to the World Health Organization, 90 percent of the population worldwide live in an area with excessive air pollution.28 The significant strides that California and the United States have made in slowing down the burden of air pollution translate to longer life expectancies. 29 It is a critical time for human beings, especially for of Californians reported that they believe air pollution is an those vulnerable to air pollution, and rollbacks to stringent immediate threat to their health environmental policies, even for a small amount of time, can pose a in 200330 significant threat to our health and the health of future generations.

References can be the increase in exposure to 1. http://www.lung.org/assets/documents/healthy-air/state-of-the-air/sota-2018-full.pdf PM2.5 inside the cars of commuters 2. http://time.com/3399134/air-pollution-climate-change-bakersfield-caifornia/ during rush hour traffic31 3. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/air-pollution/ 4. https://www.healthoftheair.org/city/92373 5. https://abc7.com/society/california-air-pollution-falls-below-1990-levels/3749044/ 6. https://www.arb.ca.gov/knowzone/history.htm 7. https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants/naaqs-table 8. http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/1/eaao3477 9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516868/ 10. https://www.epa.gov/ozone-pollution 11. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air- quality 12. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15287390600884644?scroll=top&needAccess=tr ue 13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4261306/ 14. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4043261/ 15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5615585/ 16. https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/health/california-fires-air-pollution-trnd/index.html 17. http://time.com/5364151/california-wildfire-smoke-east-coast/ 18. https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc3546819 19. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29243937 20. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4817358/ 21. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4454972/ 11209 Anderson Street 22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4554487/ Loma Linda, CA 92354 23. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412011002601 24. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/homepage Phone: 909-558-7022 25. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/how-trump-is-changing-science-environment/ Fax: 909-558-5638 26. https://www.npr.org/2018/08/02/631986713/white-house-proposal-rolls-back-fuel-economy- www.IHPL.llu.edu standards-no-exception-for-californ 27. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/climate/epa-coal-pollution-deaths.html 28. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/09/27/who-excessive-air-pollution-affects-92-percent- Questions? people.html Please contact Priya Vedula, MPH. 29. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa0805646 Health Policy Analyst at the Institute 30. http://www.ppic.org/press-release/special-survey-on-californians-and-the-environment-not- for Health Policy & Leadership in-my-driveway-air-pollution-top-concern-but-state-residents-dont-see-themselves-as-part- of-problem/ ([email protected]) 31. https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/F4ABD7B3A8061125225AF95B9911A5B3144EB6C5B8D 66BFFBB7AAEBFBC0C3ADC693BE2C521B40273CB6581AA843E677A 4