Highways

There are over four million miles of roads in the United States according to the Department of Transportation. That is a whole lot of pavement. While a large percentage of these roads are in rural areas, there is a sizable chunk in our urbanized cities. Sprawling development has opened up the borders of cities to encompass miles and miles of suburbs surrounding them and stretching far from the city center. Large highways with multiple lanes clogged with traffic bring tens of thousands of exhaust-belching vehicles into and through the areas surrounding these highways. 

 

Sitting on one of these busy highways in a traffic jam with the window open feels like clearly a bad idea. Shutting the window and not breathing all the fumes seems an obviously better idea. Unfortunately, too many people live or work next to a constant, never-ending flow of traffic spewing out exhaust fumes 24 hours a day. Emissions from cars, trucks, and buses contain a long list of harmful chemicals: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, particulate matter (especially ultra-fine in size), and dozens more. Many of these have been linked to various types of cancer. If all these invisible exhaust fumes were suddenly visible, we would see a thick cloud many feet high and wide on all of our highways. 

 

Almost all the other hazards in this book impact a few hundred or even several thousand people at a time. Unlike those other hazards, the impact of negative health effects from highway pollution impacts millions of people every day of the year. The American Lung Association estimates between 96 and 130 million people, 30-45% of the population, in this country live near busy roads. Other estimates include one from the EPA, which puts the number of people living within 300 feet of roadways and terminals at 45 million individuals.

 

Living near a roadway could put people’s health at risk. Elevated levels of chemicals from emissions from chemicals from cars and trucks contribute to tens of thousands of deaths each year. Even though we cough and wheeze, we tell ourselves the fumes we breathe are more annoying than hazardous. That is one big mistake we are making. 

 

In a study Tony and I did of people living near highways, when they were asked about their concerns, less than half talked about health concerns from the roadway.  An equal number were surprised to hear just how badly the pollution affects them. In spite of the widespread scientific knowledge about the dangers of exposure to highway pollution, millions of children, adults, and elderly people live, work, and attend school in the toxic zones near these roadways. Conclusive evidence shows links to decreased lung function, increased asthma, low birth weight and premature births, and cardiovascular disease. Making matters worse, cancer risk from the chemicals contained in auto emissions has not received the attention it deserves from the government and environmental agencies charged with protecting the health of the public. 

 

Brown smog consisting of ozone pollution and clouds of fine and ultra fine particles present the greatest hazards to our health. Many of our large cities, and even some smaller ones, now have this haze of smog covering the denser areas. In Phoenix, Arizona, where I live, the air frequently is so heavy with particle emissions that the government asks people to carpool or not drive at all. We regularly exceed the ozone limits due to the pollution that hundreds of thousands of vehicles spew into the air.

 

The worst areas where the pollutants are the highest and most dangerous are in the actual travel zones, about 50-100 feet from the roadway. Heavily trafficked city roads with a lot of stop-and-go traffic can be as bad for pollutants as major highways. Roads with tall buildings on either side trap the pollutants and make the concentration many times higher than an open highway. Studies from the University of Southern California already show these hot zones have pollution levels at five to ten times higher than other places in the city.

 

Pedestrians along roads like we described are walking in the worst zone. In fact, at street intersections, the levels of pollution are even higher. People who live along these streets and have their doors and windows open are breathing the same amount of pollution as down on the roadway. Bicycle riders, joggers, and walkers are all subjected. People who exercise along these roads are putting their lung function at risk, breathing in many times more fine and ultra fine particulate matter.

 

There’s even a difference in the heaviness and thickness in the smog between a weekday and a weekend. When thousands of vehicles are clogging the road, crawling along to wherever it is they go each day, they are causing the pollution to be the worst. Then, on the weekend when traffic is much lighter and mostly moves at a steady pace, the smog lifts a bit, and it becomes easier to breathe.

 

Time of day can even affect the level of smog. In April 2013 a study done by UCLA and the California Air Resources Board found that heavy traffic in the morning rush hour created pollution levels so high that the effects were seen up to a mile from the highway. The automobile exhaust created visible smog clouds of pollution. Billions of tiny microscopic particles are needed to create a cloak of smog that thick.  

 

Smog is made up of billions of tiny particles, pieces floating in the air from all sorts of chemicals, toxic compounds, dust, etc. Particulate matter especially causes lung cancer, asthma, leukemia, and heart disease in adults. Children who are more active and also tend to be outside more of the time are getting more of a share of exposure. Their small bodies with still-developing lungs are subjected to more of the particulates than older, more sedentary people. Women who live in these high-traffic, high-pollution zones are at a statistically higher risk of having children born with some type of lung and respiratory issue. In fact, studies have shown evidence that pregnant women living within 500 feet of these roadways have a higher chance of having a premature birth, babies with low weight, and children with more medical problems overall.

 

Smog and exhaust pollution is literally sucking the life out of these people bit by bit. Pollution from smog makes the body work harder just to do its regular functions, putting continuous extra strain on all of the vital organs.The fumes that are breathed in take the place of oxygen needed to refresh the blood, brain, and body. They rob brains of well-oxygenated blood and cause disruption in normally well-functioning brain activity. 

 

The exhaust that creates all the pollution that is putting so many people at risk is made of a variety of chemicals and residue from the combustion of gas in the vehicle engines. To get more technical, the exhaust and pollution caused by vehicles burning petroleum send hundreds of different chemicals into the air. Many of these chemicals have the capacity to combine with others to create even more hazardous substances for us to breathe. The chemical substances found in automobile exhaust reads like a shopping list for a chemistry lab. 

 

To keep things a bit simpler for this chapter, we will focus on a group of four that are responsible for the majority of diseases, illnesses, and other health issues. 

 

1. Particulate Matter

 

Particulate matter is a primary danger. Our lungs act as filters for our body, keeping harmful substances out. Our lungs are only able to filter out particles larger than a certain size. Others get through our bodies’ defenses and either need to be caught by our secondary ones or get into our bloodstreams and stay deep inside our lungs. 

 

Incredible amounts of particulate matter are emitted by every combustion engine there is. These are constantly emitted in automobile exhaust, pouring into the air, and mixing and attaching to whatever other particles happen to be there. The size is critical to what happens next. 

 

Particles in our air are categorized into different sizes. The largest, called coarse particles, range in size from 2.5 to 10 micrometers. In comparison, a human hair is about 75 micrometers thick. Our bodies are able to trap most coarse particles before they get deep into our body.

 

The next size are particles between 2.5 and 1 micrometer. It would take 30-75 of the particles next to each to equal the thickness of a human hair. These particles do not always get trapped by the body and sometimes make their way into our lungs. Some may be caught in the lungs and expelled, but many will make it through the air sacs and into our bloodstream where they get sent to our organs and other parts of our body. These smaller particles can pass deep into our lungs, causing respiratory complaints and contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. 

 

The last category is particles smaller than 1 micrometer, ultra fine particles. These are the most dangerous, the ones that cause the most harm. Particles of this size pass completely through any defenses our body has. They are breathed into the lungs and head on through into the bloodstream. These tiny particles wreak havoc on our internal organs, similar to fine particles, but are able to pass into even more vital areas of our bodies.

 

Some of the particulate matter emitted by vehicles is a product specifically called soot. This is partly burned fuel emitted mostly by diesel fuel burning vehicles but is also created by reactions between other pollutants as well. While most newer diesel cars have special particulate filters to reduce the emission of soot into the air, the large number of very busy roadways packed with these vehicles still creates very large quantities of soot, which contains chemicals specifically linked to cancer. The amount of these emissions is so concerning and dangerous that some countries are trying to phase out diesel engines in an attempt to reduce these risks. 

 

According to research done at Cambridge University, another source of this harmful particulate matter is also adding to the levels of fine particulate matter. Brakes on automobiles and trucks have been found to emit metal particles as the brake are used. The pads are composed of different types of metal, especially iron. Dust is created by the friction of the brake grinding on the rotor when the vehicle slows down. The dust goes into the air and, when inhaled, causes respiratory tract inflammation, especially in the lung cells. This important finding may show brake dust to be as severe as fine particles from diesel fumes. 

 

2. Polycyclic Hydrocarbon

 

These chemicals are emitted from the exhaust system as unburnt components from fuel. They hang in the air around the highways and roadways and react with nitrogen oxides. The reaction, usually caused by sunlight, creates different chemicals including ozone, which is known to cause breathing problems, irritate respiratory systems, and increase symptoms and attacks in people with asthma.

 

3. Benzene 

 

Benzene is classified as a cancer-causing pollutant. It is one of the most dangerous emissions related to vehicle exhaust. Busy roads and highways have levels of benzene that are extremely hazardous and affect the respiratory system, immune system, and central nervous system, as well as causing developmental problems. Long-term exposure to benzene in vehicle exhaust is directly tied to cases of birth defects, childhood leukemia, and other types of cancer. It has also been known to lower the count of red blood cells in the body, which can lead to anemia. Even relatively low levels of exposure are known to cause many of these illnesses. Besides occupational exposure to high levels of benzene in the oil and gas industry, the main route of exposure is through highway pollution, gas stations, and oil and gas wells. The chemicals may be inhaled directly, or they can be carried along with particles and inhaled as dust.

 

4. Carbon Monoxide

 

Another dangerous chemical found in large quantities in vehicle exhaust is carbon monoxide, created from incomplete combustion of the gas in the engine. On busy roadways the carbon monoxide levels are high enough much of the time to adversely affect the health of people living nearby. Carbon monoxide is inhaled and travels through the lungs into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, it reduces the amount of oxygen the body is able to deliver to the organs and tissues. The shortage of oxygen causes severe headaches and problems with the proper functioning of the respiratory system. People with heart issues and cardiovascular diseases are especially affected as the reduced level of oxygen available to the body makes the cardiovascular system strain and work harder. Long-term exposure to higher levels of carbon monoxide may also lead to poor learning ability, reduced dexterity, visual impairment, and more difficulty performing complex tasks. 

 

5. Diesel Exhaust

 

Exhaust from diesel engines is a large part of the pollution on the highways. These engines burn particularly dirty, sending much more hazardous materials into the air from their exhausts than regular gasoline engines. Highways in particular have a larger number of vehicles using diesel engines on them. The exhaust from diesel engines contains at least 38 known chemicals listed by the EPA as known carcinogens. 

 

All of these chemicals, and dozens more, are present to varying degrees in air polluted by roadway traffic. Inside houses within the high pollution zone by the highway, the air can be almost 70% as polluted as outside the building. Depending on the structure, there may not even be much difference since an average building completely exchanges the air with outdoor air every hour or so.

 

It is fairly easy to figure out if you are living near this type of a hazard. Do not be fooled into thinking very busy urban streets are safe just because they are not highways. The relevant factor is an elevated level of chemicals that stays high above normal levels for long periods of time. 

 

An article in the respected journal Scientific American discussed studies in the U.S. that show babies born in areas with high levels of diesel exhaust and other airborne toxins were more likely to have autism than areas with low pollution levels. In addition, many of these chemicals have been linked to various types of cancer and other diseases. 

 

Some states have gone so far as to have their toll collectors in booths containing special ventilation equipment. They know how unsafe it may be to breathe these fumes continuously during their shifts. People living along the roadways are not able to wear breathing masks or have air purifiers running all the time but have to breathe these harmful fumes. Too bad they are not afforded the same protection.

 

Because so many of our cities and urban areas are covered with high volume roadways, the general view is that nothing can be done; people seem to have accepted this is the way it needs to be. However, this idea comes from industries and institutions that benefit from our collective defeatism. The automobile industry wants to sell more cars because people driving less or owning fewer cars hurts their industry. Gasoline companies want us to drive as much as possible as well, encouraging us to burn those petroleum products and keep supporting the gas and oil industry. 

 

For over 20 years there has been knowledge in the scientific community about the negative effects of vehicle pollution on people nearby. Unfortunately, the government simply has ignored it and pushed it aside instead of pushing laws and regulations with real teeth in them. The lack of urgency surrounding the problem kicks finding a solution further down the proverbial road. Our current laws and regulations do almost nothing to protect the population from the daily assault of toxic pollutants. The government claims they monitor the pollution and air quality, but their methods of monitoring are set up to measure pollution over a wide area, not the levels in the hotspots.  

 

Tony and I know that people simply can’t pick up and move at any time they wish. For the people who are living within the danger zone of a highway, we wish you could, but that simply is not realistic. This chapter is to help you see what the impacts of this could be on you and your families and the steps you may be able to take to lower the exposure and the risk.

 

While you can’t do much about the outside air if you live in one of these places, you can try to take some steps to limit the most harmful exposure. Short of moving, you can try to limit your time outside doing any type of exercise or physical activity, such as jogging or playing basketball. If possible, try to find another place further away from the traffic for those activities. Also, if possible, stay indoors during peak traffic times when pollution levels are at their highest. 

 

The inside air is something you do have a little more control over. If you have a central heating and cooling system in your house, you could consider adding an air filter system to what is already there. A high-efficiency house filter would reduce the indoor pollutants in your home, including particulate matter. However, filters are only effective at removing some of the pollutants, and different filters work better on certain chemicals than others. Hepa filters are particularly good at reducing the smaller particles that could get into your lungs. Carbon filters are better at reducing benzene and some other volatile organic compounds found in the exhaust vapors. Comparison shop, but be careful about the information and claims individual companies make about their products. In addition, they will only work the most effectively when all the doors and windows are closed. At the very least, it is a good starting point and better than nothing at all.

 

If you do not have a central heating and cooling system, you can at least get several room- sized air filters to run in the areas you and the family spend most of your time in when inside. 

 

One of the best ways of lowering your risks to pollution from highways is to oppose highways near residential areas before they are built. With enough pressure from citizens, the government has made certain highway expansions illegal. For example, in 2003 California created a law mandating new schools must be at least 500 feet away from busy roadways. On the federal level, new EPA requirements put into place would force over 100 cities to place air quality monitors in high pollution zones close to highways and heavily-trafficked roads.

 

When there aren’t laws in place to protect people from encroaching roadways, there are still actions to take. Highways take many years to build. The plans may stretch out five, ten, or even twenty years on the actual construction. Take the extra time to triple check there are no plans on the drawing board of any agency to either build a future roadway or greatly increase the volume a current roadway carries. 

 

Do not trust anyone who says the proposal is years away from happening or that the road will never be built. There is a reason to fear. Consider, for example, Route 303 in Surprise, Arizona, and Route 208 in Oakland, New Jersey. For many years, these roads were nothing more than lines of dots on a map. Then, one day, the construction signs went up, and the bulldozers came in. Now, hundreds of people have highways carrying thousands of vehicles a day just yards from their homes. It will never happen, people said. Then, it did. You always need to use your own judgment and gut feeling. You are the only one who will be living with the consequences. 

 

Living near a highway or busy roadways is almost inevitable in many cities and towns. Many times there is little choice based on how many roads there are. The amount of the traffic is really what you need to consider. A highway with heavy traffic all day long especially stop-and-go traffic would likely need a distance of a mile just to reduce the levels of pollutants you would be exposed to. Other roadways that are just fairly busy but not jam packed all day long, you may want a half mile buffer between you and the road. Obviously you will be living off a roadway wherever you are. The less exposure you have to high volumes of exhaust pollution, the better off you will be.