Diesel exhaust poses a health risk to anyone within close proximity, including drivers, employees and others that are nearby.
Diesel exhaust concentrates at ground level around loading docks and can enter your building through air intakes, doors and windows.
Diesel exhaust contains 40 substances that the US Environmental Protection Agency lists as hazardous air pollutants. Fifteen of these pollutants are considered probable or known carcinogens. Numerous scientific studies have shown that exposure to the pollution from diesel exhaust increases the risk of respiratory illness and cancer.
If the engine will be idling for more than 30 seconds, you will generally save more fuel if you stop the engine and restart, based on findings cited by the US Environmental Protection Agency.
An hour of idling can consume more than a gallon of diesel fuel depending on the vehicle’s year and model.
Idling causes twice the wear on internal parts compared to driving at highway speeds, increasing maintenance costs and shortening engine life. Prolonged idling can reduce the operating life of engine oil by 75%.
In Georgia, the two most significant pollutants that threaten human health are fine particulate matter (PM) and ground level ozone. Both of these classes of pollutants are emitted from combustion engines.
Few business owners know that 27 Georgia counties violate standards for ground level ozone or PM and air quality standards are getting tougher.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division is currently working on a No-Idle Rule for heavy-duty diesel engines in Georgia that could be put into effect as early as May 2009.