big rig cleanup

“Big rigs” haul our goods. They dig our ditches. They harvest our crops. They drive our children to school. But these on- and off-road vehicles—trucks, buses, tractors, and combines, just to name a few—are often forgotten when discussing the health, energy security, and environmental impact of transportation in America.

Diesel engines, which power a majority of big rigs, release a mixture of smog-forming pollutants, particulate matter (soot) that can penetrate deep into our lungs, and other toxic constituents such as arsenic, cadmium, dioxin, and mercury. Children, because their lungs are developing, are particularly vulnerable to diesel exhaust, which has been linked to a host of severe health problems including asthma, cancer, and even premature death.

Cleaning up big rigs has been an extremely slow and difficult task. UCS is working to raise awareness of the severity and importance of this issue, as well as creating and preserving the solutions that will ensure a healthier future for us and our children. Our cleanup strategy includes:

• advocating strict emission standards for new highway and off-highway engines
• providing incentives and passing regulations to clean up existing engines
• replacing and retrofitting older school buses with cleaner alternatives