Exhaust from cars and trucks exacerbates asthma in children and may cause new cases as well as other respiratory illnesses and heart problems resulting in deaths, an independent institute that focuses on vehicle-related air pollution has concluded.
A relationship was found between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function and accelerated hardening of the arteries.
The report, to be issued on Wednesday by the nonprofit Health Effects Institute, analyzed 700 peer-reviewed studies conducted around the world on varying aspects of motor vehicle emissions and health. It found “evidence of a causal relationship,” but not proof of one, between pollution from vehicles and impaired lung function and accelerated hardening of the arteries.
Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) is a public municipal utility, owned by the citizens of Gainesville. Like many utilities, private and public alike, GRU has traditionally provided power with a combination of coal- and natural gas-fired generation. In 2002, a resource study indicated that substantial additional generation capacity would soon be needed to meet the city’s projected energy load. Gainesville, a university town, has a very green orientation. The Gainesville City Commission, being sensitive to climate change issues, chose to defer the need for additional generation by pursuing a path of energy load reduction through increased energy efficiency, coupled with adoption of renewable energy for additional capacity needs.
