First Name | Terry |
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Last Name | Wirth |
Email Address | terrywirth@gmail.com |
Affiliation | |
Subject | Comments on needed Research Fund study 13 |
Comment | Comments on Agenda Item # 07-5-4 for May 24, 2007 meeting of the California Air Resources Board. I here by request the opportunity to appear at the May 24 meeting and present public comment before the Board. In the event I cannot make it to the meeting here are my comments in writing. On my sixtieth birthday in Jan this year. I was in the Scripts LaJolla Hospital recovering from placement of 4 stints in my coronary arteries. I had lived a healthy life style. But walking outdoors 4 or more times per week along urban streets, did not help me avoid fine Particulate matter less than 2.5 microns and even worse ultra fine particulate counts that continue to increase in our air. Most of these particles have been made by very high temperature and high pressure combustion, and the cracking of hydrocarbons into fine and ultra fine particles by government mandated catalytic conversion processes. These processes have reduced total parts per million concentrations of particles in the air but have increased the number of particles per cubic meter. Good scientific studies need to be the basis of air quality. And good scientific standards need to be the basis of scientific study. I applaud you small attempt to fund some scientific study, but it is not enough in light of what has been done and what you are proposing to do in the future. An ugly 10 micron particle, equaling about 1000 ppm (of a 100 cubic um volume = 1,000,000ppm), can potentially be shattered into 64 2.5 micron particles, or 1000 1micron particles. In reality, most of a cracked 10 micron particle will be converted to CO2, with about 6ppm of particulate remaining as 3 to 20 fine and ultra fine harmful particles. Over 20% of the excess CO2 produced in the U.S. since 1975 has been produced from catalytic conversion of exhaust hydrocarbon particles. "Clean Air" has equaled more CO2 and the parts per million standard instead of a harmful particles per cubic meter standard has resulted in "cleaner" or prettier air but less healthy and more deadly air. I hope that you will help correct the errors made in the 1970's - 90's and replace parts per million (ppm) standards with harmful particles per cubic meter (hpm³) standards. Only harmful particles should be removed from the air by government regulation. Global warming on planet earth is being caused by an increase in H2O gaseous vapor in the troposphere and stratosphere. Water vapor is our most significant greenhouse gas and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is controlled by aerosols functioning as cloud condensation nuclei, water condensation vapor pressure, and temperature. The measured CO2 increase of 62ppm at Mauna Loa Observatory from March 1958 (measurement of 315 ppm) to Dec. 2004 (measurement of 377 ppm) would produce 1/72nd of 1°C (0.014°C) increase in global temperature in 46 years. A equal 62ppm increase in global water vapor will produce a 1/12th of 1 °C (0.082°C) increase in global temperature. (Current global average water vapor content of the atmosphere is estimated by NASA at 0.7% ~7000ppm and ~10,000ppm (1%) by IPCC.) I ask you to fund a lot more scientific research and let the scientific community set scientific standards and direct you to the most significant things to study. Smoke from wood burning stoves has been studied and restudied. Study no. 11 on wood burning stove pollution, need not be funded, read the hundreds of reports already written. Study 13 "Respiratory Health Effects Related to Ultrafine Particle Concentrations and Properties", should be given top priority and funded at a higher level than requested. I have no financial interest in study 13 and no personal connection to those proposing study 13, except the fact that I could have died in January had I and my family not responded correctly to the very first onset of my heart attack symptoms. Terry Wirth 1778 Orchard Wood Rd Ensinitas, CA 92024 760-494-8821 |
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Date and Time Comment Was Submitted | 2007-05-16 11:58:38 |
If you have any questions or comments please contact Clerk of the Board at (916) 322-5594.