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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 1
September 2009
Fish Safe
What’s in that diesel exhaust you breathe?
A researcher from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) spent time aboard 19 Maine lobster boats from Jonesport to Kennebunk in July and August, measuring the amounts of various components that make up diesel exhaust as part of a collaborative study between HSPH and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
Earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency awarded the DEP $1.73 million in federal stimulus funds through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to support clean diesel projects. Some of this money was used to retrofit transit buses and refuse trucks and to support the clean school bus program, while some was used to establish the first Clean Marine Engine Program in the region (see CFN April ’09 and June ’09).
The Maine Clean Marine Engine Program was designed to exchange old “dirty” diesel engines on fishing boats, ferries, and diesel-powered vessels for cleaner-burning “EPA Tier II” marine diesels. Vessel owners submitted applications, documented fuel usage, and provided evidence of credit to pay for 50% of the purchase price and installation cost of a new engine.
The DEP’s Lynne Cayting received over 300 applications for the exchange program. As of mid-August, her office had approved funding for 33 marine diesel vessels of which 23 were lobster boats.
Ariel Piedmont from HSPH took readings on 19 of them. He measured: particulate matter (PM), called “fine particulates,” which are particles that can be breathed into the lungs; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are a component of combustion; elemental carbon present in the environment; and organic carbon, which is a specific component of diesel fuel.
These data will be used to characterize the level of specific exhaust components associated with the old marine diesels so they can be compared with levels of the same components after the installation of the new marine diesel engines. Those measurements will be taken in the spring of 2010.
Tier II standards
Tier II emission standards for marine engines reduce emissions of PM and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from marine diesel engines rated over 37 kilowatts (kw) or 50 horsepower.
These engines are used for propulsion and auxiliary power on commercial vessels in a variety of marine applications, including fishing boats. The 2007 Tier II standards specifically regulate these emissions: carbon monoxide; total hydrocarbons; NOx; and PM.
Health effects
Classified as a probable human carcinogen, diesel exhaust has been associated with cancer and noncancer health outcomes, including respiratory distress and cardiovascular disease.
Although a growing number of studies have been conducted on the potential effects of occupational diesel exhaust exposure, few have been done in the marine environment.
Land studies have shown that diesel exhaust concentrations are highest in enclosed or semi-enclosed areas such as mines or truck loading docks.
By conducting this study, HSPH researchers will obtain experience measuring diesel exhaust in the marine environment, get a better handle on the fishermen’s exposures to diesel exhaust, and expect to be able to document air quality improvements that result from the marine diesel exchange program.
In addition to reducing the negative health effects associated with diesel exhaust, such as asthma, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease, the EPA grant was designed to bolster the economy and employment in Maine. The companion Harvard study is funded by a Harvard–National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Pilot Project grant.
Thanks to those of you who participated in this first effort to reduce marine diesel exhaust.
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