EPA to track emissions at busy U.S.-Mexico border crossing

摘要

U.S. EPA announced plans yesterday to monitor air pollution at a crowded U.S.-Mexico border crossing, the Western Hemisphere's busiest land port. The monitor at San Ysidro will collect real-time data on fine particulates at the checkpoint that's 16 miles from downtown San Diego, EPA said. The agency is providing the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District $110,000 to buy, install and operate the equipment. "The goal is to protect our communities near the border through a better understanding of the soot that may be affecting San Ysidro, whether from tailpipe emissions or wood smoke," EPA Region 9 Administrator Jared Blumenfeld said in a statement. Fine particles are about one-thirtieth the width of a strand of human hair and are linked to adverse health effects such as respiratory and cardiovascular disease, as well as premature mortality.