182 County Deaths Tied to Particulate Pollution

A groundbreaking study released Wednesday showed that breathing the gritty particles floating in Ventura County’s air could be more hazardous to your health than getting behind the wheel.

The Natural Resource Defense Council study, which examined the damaging health effects of the tiny particles floating in the air, found that 182 people died from particulate pollution-related ailments last year in Ventura County, compared with 110 who died in automobile accidents.

The statistic startled even seasoned air quality experts.

“That is quite alarming, isn’t it?” said Doug Tubbs, manager of monitoring and technical services for the county’s Air Pollution Control District.

Particulates come from diesel exhaust, acidic aerosol sprays, smoke and various types of dust. Ventura County’s biggest source of particles is road dust, drawn from engine exhaust, tire rubber, oil and truckload spills. Agricultural operations and wood-burning fires also contribute to the pollution.

The particles are measured in microns, or a millionth of a meter. Those considered dangerous to human health are smaller than 10 microns in diameter--about one-fifth the size of a human hair--and can be found virtually everywhere. Inhaling them can lead to heart and lung diseases.

Of the 239 metropolitan areas included in the Natural Resource Defense Council study, Ventura County ranked 76th in numbers of deaths related to particulates. But in a comparison with Los Angeles County, Ventura County did much better: 34 deaths per 100,000 in Ventura County could be attributed to particulates, while 79 deaths per 100,000 in Los Angeles County were linked to the pervasive pollutant.

There are six Ventura County monitoring stations that measure the amount of the gritty particles in the air. According to the study, the highest numbers were in Simi Valley.

Tubbs said the county measures particulate content for 24-our periods every six days. Looking back on data from past years, he said summer seems to be the worst time.

Unlike ozone, particulate pollution is visible to the eye.

“Anybody who has ever driven behind a diesel truck or a school bus knows what it is,” said Pat Baggerly, board member of the Environmental Coalition. “All that black smoke. I close off everything when I’m behind a school bus.

“It is nasty. It is as bad as ozone,” a colorless gas created in part from car exhaust, that can damage lungs.

While the county issues air quality advisories for days when ozone levels exceed state and federal standards, it does not do so for particulate pollution, Tubbs said.

Although ozone gets more attention than particulate pollution, recent health studies like the one from the Natural Resource Defense Council are changing how the public--and government--looks at particulates, Baggerly said.

“It is very much needed if we want to have healthy, happy lives,” she said.

The Environmental Protection Agency is revising its standards for particulates and should come out with new figures by 1997, Tubbs said. The new requirements would drop the measuring standards from 10 microns to two or perhaps one micron.

“As time has continued to pass and more and more health research is done, it is beginning to be evident there are even worse health problems associated with the finer particulate-size cutoffs,” Tubbs said.

The revised standards would also lower the maximum daily allowable standard, which is set by the weight of particulates found in a cubic meter of air at the monitoring devices. The federal standard is 150 micrograms per cubic meter, while the California standard is a more stringent 50.

Judging by the present federal standard, Ventura County fares well. In 1994, the maximum concentration of particulate pollution was 82 micrograms. And on the worst day in 1993 for that type of pollution in Ventura County, the number was 112 micrograms, still below the federal standard.

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