VIRGINIA MERCURY

New study estimates 485 Virginians died prematurely in 2016 as a result of transportation emissions

By Sarah Vogelsong | June 10, 2021 at 7:10 AM EDT - Updated June 10 at 7:10 AM

A study by researchers from the University of North Carolina and Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health released this week calculated that 485 premature deaths in Virginia in 2016 were due to ozone and fine particulate matter emitted by cars, trucks and buses within the region.

Of those deaths, the study estimates that 334 were due to in-state emissions, while vehicle emissions from Virginia caused approximately 535 premature deaths in other states.

“On-road vehicular emissions contribute to the formation of fine particulate matter and ozone which can lead to increased adverse health outcomes near the emission source and downwind,” the authors wrote in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

The study, which was conducted as part of the Transportation, Equity, Climate and Health Project, examined emissions of ozone and a type of particulate matter known as PM2.5 due to light-duty passenger cars and trucks, medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses in 12 Mid-Atlantic and northeastern states as well as Washington, D.C.

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