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A common fixture of the Northern Manhattan and Bronx skylines are the occasional clouds of dark smoke
belching from the rooftops, indicating a building has fired its boiler.
According to a study by the Environmental Defense Fund, the city’s 1 percent of
buildings that burn the dirtiest oil contribute more soot pollution than all
vehicular traffic on city roads.
Each year an estimated 106 million vehicles traverse the I-95 corridor that bisects Washington Heights at the George Washington Bridge, making it the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge. The exhaust that spews from those cars and trucks, particularly those burning diesel, is one of the biggest contributors to the high incidence of asthma in Northern Manhattan and the Bronx.
However, a lesser-known but possibly equally insidious pollutant is poisoning the lungs of locals: heating oil.
It’s what fuels the boilers in buildings. A flame ignites the oil to boil water to create steam, which is used to heat the buildings. For residents switching on their radiators, the process is largely out of mind and out of sight, until a building coughs up a dark cloud of smoke containing sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.
How much does heating oil contribute to air pollution in New York City? A report put out by the Environmental Defense Fund said that one percent of New York City’s buildings are producing more soot pollution than all the cars and trucks in the city put together.
There are three main types of heating oil, each releasing higher levels of contaminants into the environment. The cleanest is #2. More toxic is #4, a mixture of #2 and #6. The dirtiest is #6.
“[Heating oil] #6 is very thick, like molasses,” said Bob Michael, director of facilities at Isabella Geriatric Center in Washington Heights. “It’s especially common in the local apartments around here. It is a lot cheaper.”
Northern Manhattan’s older housing stock tends to burn #4 and #6.
A map of the distribution of buildings using those heating oils in Washington Heights and Inwood looks something like this: a smattering of dots becomes more concentrated just north of the Cross Bronx Expressway. More red dots, representing the thicker #6 oil, fall west of Broadway.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund report, Zip Code 10033 ranks sixth in the city for the number of buildings burning #6 oil. Combine that with the exhaust cloud hovering over I-95 and it is no surprise that for local pediatricians like Dr. Adriana Matiz, as many as 30 percent of her young patients suffered from asthma on any given day during her residency.
Matiz, part of the Washington Heights/Inwood Network (WIN) for Asthma Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, said that other contributing factors are the concentrations of bus depots in the area, old housing stock, dust mites and rodents.
Cold air can also trigger asthma, and with winter setting in, it may become more of a concern for many residents.
Surveys taken in 2004 and 2005 indicate that a full quarter of the children living between W. 130th Street and the tip of Manhattan have asthma – a rate four times the national average. Out of children who have asthma in Washington Heights, 40 percent reported persistent symptoms and 11 percent made visits to the ER because of their asthma. What this means in terms of days of school missed is anyone’s guess.
The rates of asthma in the Bronx appear to be just as pronounced. Death from asthma is three times the national average in the Bronx, and hospitalization rates are five times higher. In many Bronx neighborhoods, a fifth of the children have asthma.
City government and neighborhood residents alike are looking for solutions. In July, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced an agreement to improve the city’s air quality by decreasing the amount of sulfur allowed in heating oil and reducing pollutants. The agreement, which will take effect Oct. 1, 2012, reduces the allowable sulfur in #4 heating oil by half and requires that all heating oil contain at least two percent biodiesel fuel. The agreement will apply to all oil sold in the city.
Buildings that want to burn cleaner oil have several options. To make the switch from using #4 or #6 oil to #2, some boilers just require a cleaning and removal of some equipment. For burners less than 20 years old, it will cost approximately $4,000. For older burners, it can cost between $15,000 to 30,000. Some buildings may require a completely new burner to make the switch. Burner replacement costs between $40,000-60,000.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, #2 oil is 10 to 30 percent more expensive than #6. However, the reduction in maintenance and fuel heating required for the heavier #4 and #6 oils can translate into a savings of $1,000 to $4,000 a year. Over time, the savings could make the switch worthwhile.
Some local institutions are also trying to become more environmentally friendly.
Mark Kator, Isabella Geriatric Center President and Chief Executive Officer, said that Isabella has looked into switching to natural gas to fuel its boiler. So far, Kator said, the cost has been prohibitive.
“It would cost several million dollars to have a high pressure gas line brought to this building,” said Kator.
Isabella Geriatric Center already burns the relatively cleaner #2 oil. Bob Michael, Isabella’s director of facilities, said Isabella’s two boilers are cleaned once a year, improving efficiency and ensuring a cleaner burn.
Kator said his interest in the issue comes from knowing that the prevalence of asthma is high in the area, and services for the elderly at Isabella includes quality of life in the community.
While natural gas is generally considered a cleaner burning fuel, producing much lower levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides than other fossil fuels, it still contributes carbon emissions. In addition, the natural gas extraction process of hydraulic fracturing poses the threat of contaminating watersheds.
Still, natural gas is cheaper than both #2 and #6 heating oil.
“We ought to take a look at the opportunities,” said Kator. “My question is, are energy alternatives available? And if they’re not, how might they be made available?”
Tenants can find out what type of heating oil their building uses by going to the interactive map at: http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=49624.
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