Study: NYC Could Save 188 Lives, $5 Billion per Year With Ban of Dirty Heating Oils
Any number of the New York City buildings seen here could be particulate polluters that use no.4 and no. 6 residual oils as heating fuel. (image: Kaldoon via flickr.com)
As HeatingOil.com reported earlier this month, New York City is gearing up to introduce regulations phasing out the use of No. 4 and No. 6 heating oil. And as The Daily News reported Thursday, a new study found that such a move could save up to 188 lives per year. By switching to the much-cleaner No. 2 fuel oil, the city would lower particulate airborne pollutants, saving lives and money.
In his recent “State of the City” address, Mayor Michael Bloomberg addressed the initiative by saying his administration would make “our air cleaner by greening the heating fuels used by schools and large buildings.” Though he did not go into further specifics within the speech, he does have plans to put the aforementioned regulations in place within the next few weeks, an NYC energy blog reported.
Particulate matter found in soot left over from residual oil (another name for no. 4 and no. 6 oils, as they constitute the residue or “leftovers” from the distillation process) can be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing serious health consequences. Michael Livermore, executive director of NYU’s Institute for Policy Integrity, the organization responsible for the study, told reporters Thursday that “In New York City we see higher instances of asthma, bronchitis, impaired lung development in children, and heart attacks, because of PM [particulate matter] pollution.”
The institute’s study explains where residual oil, the source of all this particulate matter, comes from. Heating oil is classified into six types, numbers one through six. While there are a variety of factors that go into number designation, the important thing to note is that the higher the number, the more viscous the fuel, and the more particulate emissions. The heaviest oils, like No. 6, are so viscous that they resemble tar or asphalt at room temperature. No. 2 heating oil, a light “distillate” fuel, is much cleaner, emitting a fraction of the particulate matter of the heavier oils.
As HeatingOil.com reported in December, a study by the Environmental Defense Fund found that there are approximately 9,000 buildings in the five boroughs of New York City that are still using No. 4 and No. 6 oils for heating fuel. By phasing out this “unrefined sludge laced with pollutants,” the city could save $5.3 billion in health care costs. According to NYU’s study, “over a twenty year period, if full conversion takes all twenty years, a minimum of nearly 600 mortalities will be avoided…however, it is equally likely that the actual number of mortalities will be 1,540 over twenty years…for each year quicker that full conversion is achieved.”
In other words, get cracking New York. The health and economic benefits of such a change would far outweigh the inconvenience and cost to a select number of landlords.
Josh Garrett says: says:
Laura, I’m very sorry to hear that you are one of the thousands of NYC residents who are affected by the burning of no. 4 and no. 6 heating oils. The good news is that dirty heating fuel in the City will soon be a thing of the past! In August, Mayor Bloomberg signed into law a mandate for low-sulfur, cleaner-burning heating oil in NYC. By the winter of 2012, that black smoke emanating from neighboring buildings will be gone. Until then, try contacting city services and/or the Department of Environmental Protection by calling 311 to see if they can offer some sort of help with improving your indoor air quality. Best of luck to you.
Laura says: says:
I moved to NYC Washington Heights neighborhood in 2005 and by 2007 had developed adult ashtma. I have no history of this.
I did research and on my block alone, 4 buildings burn residual 4 and 6, in the 10 block area over 20 do.
Dark clouds of smoke come out of the building across the street from me, so dark they come through the closed windows of my apartment, and I have coughing fits when I smell the horrible gas smell, like being on the runway at the airport.
There is a yellow and black film that covers my ceilings, walls, and if I clean it, it’s back within two weeks, with the texture of petroleum jelly.
I am breathing this in and it is making me very sick. I think it’s disgusting that anyone is allowed to burn this in a residential area, period, so some landlords or coops can save money. It’s really, really, dirty and it affects everyone in the area, not just the residents of the building.
Bad Breath(e): New Study Reflects Urgent Need to Green NYC's Black Smoke | greenbuildingsNYC says: says:
[...] oil is classified into six types, numbers one through six,” Kirsty Kershaw explains at HeatingOil.com (which has done some excellent work on this topic). “While there are a [...]
Buildings in “Green” NYC Burn Residual Fuel | HeatingOil.com says: says:
[...] in areas where many buildings burn no. 4 and no. 6, also known as residual oils. In fact, another study, released only a week ago, suggests that switching away from No.6 and No.4 fuels could save 188 [...]