For the first time in nearly 50 years, Colorado has asked the Environment Protectional Agency to release it from federal oversight for monitoring carbon monoxide emissions.
As reported by the Denver Post in Phys.org, the request comes after the state has consistently kept carbon monoxide pollution low for the last 20 years, with levels measuring more than 80% below the EPA standard. Carbon monoxide pollution was high in the 1970s, mostly because of gas-powered cars. Air pollution was particularly high in the five cities of Colorado Springs, Denver, Greeley, Longmont, and Fort Collins, where federal standards for carbon monoxide were exceeded a number of times.
The state first met EPA standards for carbon monoxide in 1999, mostly because of the development of technology such as catalytic converters and cleaner fuel that means that cars these days emit a fraction of the carbon monoxide that they used to. The state also requires auto emissions inspections to help curb air pollution.
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This is great news as reducing carbon monoxide pollution helps to improve air quality and protect public health. Unsafe carbon monoxide levels can cause headaches, nausea, and chest pain, and make any preexisting conditions, such as heart disease, worse.
Additionally, air pollution has been linked to issues with fertility and digestion as well as cardiovascular disease and mortality among cancer patients. Reducing air pollution is important for protecting public health and reducing the heat-trapping gases that are contributing to our planet warming up.
Good news like this demonstrates that reducing pollution can be done through tighter restrictions on vehicles and using emerging technology to help combat pollution issues. For example, California has seen a nearly threefold reduction in pollution because of regulations around tailpipe pollution, and Connecticut is teaming up with several of its neighboring states to reduce air pollution along busy highways. There has also been an increased uptake in electric vehicles, which have zero tailpipe emissions.
The success in reducing carbon monoxide pollution in Colorado is encouraging. "Hopefully, it will inspire us to tackle the outstanding challenges that we have," Elise Jones of the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission told the Post.
By continuing to prioritize vehicle inspections, Colorado hopes to be able to reduce other air pollutants, with a particular focus on the two pollutants, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, that come together to form the smog that occurs during hot weather.
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