.... harms health,
Toxic gases and tiny particles in tailpipe fumes can ...

... make a person sick on the street and cause long-term illnesses. Vehicle exhaust contains more than 40 hazardous air pollutants: 15 of which are classified as known, probable or possible carcinogens.

Components of vehicle exhaust aggravate respiratory conditions such as emphysema and asthma – over 1.8 million New Yorkers have asthma, 425,000 of whom are children. The annual impact of diesel exhaust results in over 2,000 premature adult deaths and more than 3,500 non-fatal heart attacks.

New York State has the highest health risk from diesel soot in the nation – 14,500 tons of fine particle soot is released from diesel exhaust each year.

Children, the elderly, and persons with asthma or other lung or heart disease have extraordinary vulnerability to airborne pollution.

Children

• Children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution as they breathe, eat and drink more air pound for pound than do adults. They are close to the ground, and, in fact, crawl and play on the ground. Their immune systems are immature.
  
  
• Diesel soot is linked to an increased risk of infant death, decreased lung growth in children and an increased risk in respiratory disease and illness.

Seniors

• Total mortality and cardiovascular mortality in seniors is significantly linked to pollutants in diesel and gasoline exhaust.
  
  
• Soot particles in diesel exhaust negatively affect heart function in seniors, particularly those with existing cardiac problems.

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