Americas News
Study: Low-Sulfur Rule has Dropped Pollution at U.S. Port
A 2008 California state law requiring ships to switch to low-sulfur fuel has reduced fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) contamination around the Port of Oakland on the U.S. West Coast by 3 percent, according to a new study by the Bay Area Air District.
The report, which used the trace metal vanadium to identify pollution from ships, found that, overall, state, federal, and local regulations have reduced PM 2.5 concentration by more than 40 percent since 1990, a change that could boost average life expectancy by six months.
The California law requires ocean-going vessels to switch to fuel with lower sulfur levels when they come within 24 miles of the coast, the New York Times reported when the law was passed.
The sulfur limit was set at 0.5 percent in 2009 and dropped to 0.1 percent in 2012.
Another California port, the Port of Long Beach, reduced diesel particulates by 75 percent between 2005 and 2011, according to a study released last year.
