Author: Shelene Treptow

Vehicle idling: Myth vs. Fact

Author Shelene TreptowPosted on Categories UncategorizedLeave a comment on Vehicle idling: Myth vs. Fact

As cooler, fall temperatures begin to settle into the region, you may be tempted to idle your vehicle more often than usual. Idling is one of the main contributors to air pollution, yet many misconceptions exist regarding the need to idle and the negative effects of idling on our air, our engines and our pocketbooks. Before you think about warming your car on a cold morning, or idling in a drive-thru or school drop-off zone on a chilly winter afternoon, make sure you can decipher what’s myth and what’s fact when it comes to vehicle idling.

Myth: Engines should be warmed up before driving, especially in cold weather.

Fact: Today’s electronic engines do not need long warm-ups, even in winter. No more than 30 seconds of warm-up time is needed in the winter. Easing into a drive is the best way to get a vehicle heating system to deliver warmer air faster.

Myth: Idling is good for your engine.

Fact: Excessive idling can damage your engine components, including cylinders, spark plugs and exhaust systems.  Fuel is only partially combusted when idling because an engine does not operate at its peak temperature. This leads to the build-up of fuel residues on cylinder walls that can damage engine components and increase fuel consumption.

Myth: It’s better to leave the engine running than shutting it off and restarting it because “cold starts” are hard on the engine and use more gas.

Fact: Frequent restarting has little impact on engine components.  Idling, however, forces an engine to operate in an inefficient and gasoline-rich mode that can affect the engine’s performance and reduce gas mileage. More than ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

Myth: It’s better to leave an engine idling because “cold starts” produce more pollution.

Fact: Driving a car immediately after a cold start allows the engine to heat up significantly faster, especially in newer models. When the car heats faster, its catalytic converter becomes more efficient at reducing emissions — by as much as 99 percent.

Explore our website for information on anti-idling initiatives, or additional steps you can take to help improve air quality. We also encourage you to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.

Air pollution brings increased risk for asthma attacks

Author Shelene TreptowPosted on Categories Air Quality, BlogLeave a comment on Air pollution brings increased risk for asthma attacks

For most kids, the start of the school year is an exciting time, filled with fun, friends and new adventures. But for kids with asthma, the new school year can come with serious health challenges.
This is because the trip back to class often brings with it a variety of asthma triggers that may lead to asthma attacks. These triggers can include emotional stress and anxiety, new sports routines and indoor and outdoor allergens.

 
The amount of pollution in our air is a major contributor to asthma attacks. Exposure to smog is dangerous for kids, especially since they are still growing and generally spend more time outdoors than adults. Dirty air can interfere with lung development and increase the risk of lung infections in all children, and the health risks are far greater for children with asthma. Currently, approximately 6.3 million children suffer from asthma, and the condition ranks as one of the leading causes of missed school days.

 
Smog is formed when heat and sunlight react with pollution – much of which is released from vehicle tailpipes. Consider where your own children attend school. Is there a long line of parents idling their vehicles as they wait to drop off their children? Are there idling buses near the school entrance? All of those idling vehicles release emissions that are dangerous for children and can exacerbate asthma.
The good news is that since we are a part of the air pollution problem at school, we can also be a part of the solution. By simply making a commitment to refrain from idling on school grounds, we can help reduce the emissions that lead to poor air quality and ultimately help students breathe easier.

 

Area schools are also encouraged to get involved in the clean air effort by placing “no idle” signs in their drop-off lanes and parking lots. FREE signs are available to schools by contacting Susannah Fuchs with the Clean Air Partnership via email at [email protected]. To learn more, click here.

 
For information about additional steps you can take to help improve air quality, we encourage you to explore the tips page (link to page) of our website. We also encourage you to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.

Back to school tips for cleaner air

Author Shelene TreptowPosted on Categories Air Quality, Blog, CommutingLeave a comment on Back to school tips for cleaner air

With the summer season over, children across the region are now settling into their back-to-school routines. If you’re one of the many parents who drive their children to school each day, now is a great time to consider other transportation options that can help reduce the emissions that lead to air pollution, while also helping to improve lung health across the St. Louis area.

The following tips can help make the school commute a more air quality-friendly one:

• Walk or bike to class: For kids that live close to school, walking and biking are great commuting options that also offer an opportunity to get some exercise, whenever weather and air quality conditions are favorable.

• Encourage the kids to ride the bus: For those who live near a school bus route, the bus can offer an eco-friendly way to get to class, especially as more districts purchase lower pollution buses.

• Share the ride to school: If driving to school is the only option for getting there, work with neighbors to organize carpools to reduce emissions and also help parents and students save money on gas.

• Avoid unnecessary idling: Idling engines produce toxic pollution that is known to cause serious health concerns. Exposure to car exhaust can also aggravate asthma symptoms. And with asthma ranking as the most common chronic illness in children, vehicle idling can be especially harmful to kids. When dropping the kids off, avoid idling parking lots, bus and carpool lanes and delivery areas.

At back to school time, and year-round, parents and kids can access a wealth of air quality information and tips to help them do their share for cleaner air on the Clean Air Partnership website. Additional air quality tips and information can also be found on our Facebook page and on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.

The link between hot weather and ozone pollution

Author Shelene TreptowPosted on Categories Air Quality, Blog, OzoneLeave a comment on The link between hot weather and ozone pollution

Over the last several weeks, the St. Louis area has seen its share of scorching temperatures and poor air quality. And as we head into what is traditionally the hottest part of summer, air quality conditions will have the potential to creep into the orange and red range. Have you ever wondered why scorching, hot days are often synonymous with poor air quality?

On summer days, heat and sunlight react with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emitted by automobiles and other sources, which mix to form a ground-level layer of ozone, also known as smog. High amounts of ground-level ozone result in the orange and red air quality days that can pose health risks for all of us, especially children, the elderly and those with respiratory concerns.

When inhaled, even at very low levels, ozone can cause acute respiratory problems, aggravate asthma, result in a 14-20 percent decrease in lung capacity for healthy adults, cause inflammation of lung tissue, lead to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits and impair the body’s immune system defenses, making more people susceptible to respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and pneumonia.

The good news is that there are many simple steps we can all take to help reduce the emissions that lead to ozone formation and poor air quality. Since transportation choices have the most profound effect on air quality, efforts to carpool, vanpool, use the bus and MetroLink, telecommute or use flextime, and walk or bike more can go a long way toward improving air quality. Those that drive alone are encouraged to combine errands into a single trip, plan their route in advance to avoid idling in traffic tie-ups and construction zones and refrain from other forms of unnecessary idling.

  • Other emissions-reducing steps individuals can take on poor air quality days include:
  • Refueling gas tanks after dusk and not topping off the tank.
  • Avoiding the use of gas-powered lawn mowers and garden equipment, if possible, or mowing before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. to avoid peak ozone formation hours.
  • Using a gas grill instead of a charcoal when barbecuing.

Throughout the summer, area residents can view the daily air quality forecast on our homepage. Visitors can also sign up there to receive the daily forecast via email. The forecast and a wealth of air quality tips and information can also be found on our Facebook page and on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.

The positive impacts of idle reduction

Author Shelene TreptowPosted on Categories Air Quality, Blog, OzoneLeave a comment on The positive impacts of idle reduction

Tailpipe w-emissionsHow often do you find yourself idling your car in drive-thrus, parking lots or right outside your child’s school? It’s probably a lot more than you care to admit, especially given how bad all of that unnecessary idling is for our air.

Idling vehicles emit 20 times more pollution than a car traveling at 30 mph. And the pollution released from vehicle idling includes air toxics, which are known to cause cancer, respiratory and reproductive issues, birth defects or other serious health concerns.

While you may not always be able to avoid idling, there are many instances when you can make the choice not to idle. These include:

  • Turning off your ignition when you have to wait for more than 10 seconds. Idling for just 10 seconds wastes more gas than restarting the engine.
  • Not “warming up” your vehicle. Modern engines don’t need more than a few seconds of idle time before they are safe to drive.
  • Planning your trips to avoid construction zones and traffic tie-ups. Resources like MoDOT’s Gateway Guide website at www.gatewayguide.com can alert you to high-traffic areas before you leave the house, allowing you to choose an alternate, idle-free route.

For every 10 minutes your engine is off, you’ll prevent one pound of carbon dioxide from being released into our air – helping individuals across the region breathe easier. And with statistics noting that 10 minutes of idling a day wastes 27 gallons of fuel a year, choosing not to idle is also a great way to save fuel and money.

Explore our website for information on anti-idling initiatives, or additional steps you can take to help improve air quality. We also encourage you to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.