NEWS RELEASE
October 28, 2004
Contacts:
Joe Thomas, Mobile Sources Manager, Division of Air Quality, (801) 536-4175
Ran McDonald, Environmental Scientist, Division of Air Quality, (801) 536-4071
(Salt Lake City, Utah) – For the first time in 12 years, oxygenated fuel will no longer be required in Utah County during the winter. Utah County meets federal health standards for carbon monoxide, thus eliminating the need for oxygenated fuel.
According to the Utah Division of Air Quality, carbon monoxide levels in Utah County will not exceed the ambient air quality standard for the next ten years. This result can be attributed to better emissions technology that is part of vehicles manufactured after 1996.
Earlier this year, Utah developed a maintenance plan that removed the oxygenated fuel requirement in Utah County and also requested the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to remove the oxygenated fuel requirement in Utah County. EPA informed the Utah Petroleum Association that elimination of the oxygenate requirement would not adversely affect the environment in Utah County and that there would be no federal action to require refiners to produce oxygenated fuels for Utah County.
The oxygenated fuel requirement in Utah County began in November 1992 as a way to bring the county back into compliance with the federal health standards for carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that forms when the carbon in fuels does not completely burn. Vehicle exhaust contributes roughly 60 percent of all carbon monoxide emissions nationwide, and up to 95 percent in cities. Other sources include fuel combustion in industrial processes and natural sources such as wildfires.
Carbon monoxide concentrations typically are highest during cold weather, because cold temperatures make combustion less complete and cause inversions that trap pollutants low to the ground.
Carbon monoxide enters the bloodstream through the lungs and binds chemically to hemoglobin, the substance in blood that carries oxygen to cells. In this way, carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen reaching the body’s organs and tissues.
People with cardiovascular disease, such as angina, are most at risk from carbon monoxide. These individuals may experience chest pain and more cardiovascular symptoms if they are exposed to carbon monoxide, particularly while exercising. In healthy individuals, exposure to higher levels of carbon monoxide can affect mental alertness and vision.