Cars, Trucks, and Air Pollution
Air pollution has serious implications for public health. Poor air quality increases respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis, heightens the risk of life-threatening conditions like cancer, and burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs. 
According to EPA estimates, more than 150 million people in the United States live in areas that violate at least one of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for six health-based “criteria pollutants,” which include ozone, lead, and fine particulate matter. The health risks of these pollutants are substantial—fine particulate matter alone is responsible for up to 30,000 premature deaths each year.
Transportation is the largest single source of air pollution in the United States. If we reduce vehicle pollutants, we can significantly enhance air quality, improve public health, and save billions of dollars in health care costs. Clean vehicle and fuel technologies provides us with the tools to do just that.
The ingredients of air pollution
Vehicle emissions contain a stew of chemicals, all of which have adverse health effects.
Learn more:
There’s a lot less pollution than there used to be. It’s still too much.
Vehicle emission standards have reduced pollution from cars and trucks by about 90 percent since the 1970s, a remarkable success story that has resulted in cleaner air, improved public health, and billions of dollars in taxpayer savings for health care costs. But we drive many more miles than we used to, and new health research shows us that more must be done to protect our families from the dangers of air pollution.
Learn more:
- The Plain English Guide to Tailpipe Standards
- Real-World Emission Reductions from Passenger Vehicles Over the Past 30 Years (1997)
Trucks and buses pollute. A lot.
Trucks and buses account for less than six percent of total miles driven in the United States but generate a quarter of the nation’s smog-causing pollution from highway vehicles. Diesel fuel is largely responsible; cleaner diesel and improved vehicle designs can substantially reduce these impacts and further enhance recent successful efforts to lower diesel emissions.
Learn more:
In-depth reports
- Rolling Smokestacks: Cleaning Up America's Trucks and Buses (2000)
- Clean School Bus Pollution Report Card (2006)
- Off Highway Diesel Equipment (2000)
Clean cars pollute less. A lot less.
Clean cars burn less fuel than other vehicles, produce fewer airborne pollutants, and have the potential to significantly improve air quality. Vehicles that run on cleaner fuels like electricity, hydrogen, and clean biofuels generate even fewer pollutants, improving air quality even more.
