Sometime soon we might be able to suck in a huge breath of coastal air and feel refreshed again. Not sick.

In August of 2008 Chemists at UC San Diego released a study measuring for the first time the impact that dirty smoke from ships cruising at sea and generating electricity in port can have on the air quality of coastal cities.

The scientists report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the impact of dirty smoke from ships burning high-sulfur fuel can be substantial, on some days accounting for nearly one-half of the fine, sulfur-rich particulate matter in the air known to be hazardous to human health. This is particularly significant for the state of California, which is supposed to require, beginning this month, that all tankers, cargo and cruise ships sailing into a California port switch to more expensive, cleaner-burning fuels when they come within 24 miles of the coast. Similar international rules requiring clean-burning ship fuels are set to take effect in 2015.

Now the federal EPA is getting on board with their own push for regulation to essentially match newer international standards that are coming online. The expected benefit? Over 80% reduction in NOx and particulate emissions, and possibly the saving of tens of thousands of lives, millions of lost work days and the reduction of health issues like asthma in the coming decades.

For more information, check out the announcement at SustainableBusiness.com

And from the EPA itself at www.epa.gov/otaq/oceanvessels.htm

Tags: emissions, government mandates to reduce emissions, greenhouse gas, pollution, saving oil