Comment Log Display

Comments on Agenda Item # 07-5-4 for May 24, 2007 meeting of the
California Air Resources Board. 

I here by request the opportunity to appear at the May 24 meeting
and present public comment before the Board.  In the event I
cannot make it to the meeting here are my comments in writing.  


On my sixtieth birthday in Jan this year.  I was in the Scripts
LaJolla Hospital  recovering from placement of 4 stints in my
coronary arteries.  I had lived a healthy  life style. But walking
outdoors 4 or more times per week along urban streets, did not help
me avoid fine Particulate matter less than 2.5 microns and even
worse ultra fine particulate counts that continue to increase  in
our air. Most of these particles have been made by very high
temperature and high pressure combustion, and the cracking of
hydrocarbons into fine and ultra fine particles by government
mandated catalytic conversion processes. These processes have
reduced total parts per million concentrations of particles in the
air  but have increased the number of particles per cubic  meter. 
Good scientific studies need to be the basis of air quality.  And
good scientific standards need to be the basis of scientific
study.  I applaud you small attempt to fund some scientific study,
but it is not enough in light of what has been done and what you
are proposing to do in the future. 

An ugly 10 micron particle, equaling about 1000 ppm (of a 100
cubic um volume = 1,000,000ppm), can potentially be shattered into
64  2.5 micron particles, or 1000 1micron particles. In reality,
most of a cracked 10 micron particle will be converted to CO2,
with about 6ppm of particulate remaining as  3 to 20 fine and
ultra fine harmful particles.  Over 20% of the excess CO2 produced
in the U.S. since 1975 has been produced from catalytic conversion
of exhaust hydrocarbon particles. "Clean Air" has equaled more CO2
and the parts per million standard instead of a harmful particles
per cubic meter standard has resulted in  "cleaner" or prettier
air  but less healthy and more deadly air. I hope that you will
help correct the errors made in the 1970's - 90's and replace
parts per million (ppm) standards with harmful particles per cubic
meter (hpm³) standards.  

Only harmful particles should be removed from the air by
government regulation.   Global warming on planet earth is being
caused by an increase in H2O gaseous vapor in the troposphere and
stratosphere.  Water vapor is our most significant greenhouse gas
and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere is controlled by
aerosols functioning as cloud condensation nuclei, water
condensation vapor pressure, and temperature. The measured CO2
increase of 62ppm  at Mauna Loa Observatory from March 1958
(measurement of 315 ppm)  to Dec. 2004 (measurement of 377 ppm)
would produce 1/72nd of 1°C (0.014°C)  increase in global
temperature in 46 years.  A equal 62ppm increase in global water
vapor will produce a 1/12th of 1 °C  (0.082°C) increase in global
temperature.  (Current global average water vapor content of the
atmosphere is estimated by NASA at 0.7% ~7000ppm and ~10,000ppm
(1%) by IPCC.)  

I ask you to fund a lot more scientific research and let the
scientific community set  scientific standards and direct you to
the most significant things to study.   Smoke from wood burning
stoves has been studied and restudied.  Study no. 11 on wood
burning stove pollution, need not be funded, read the hundreds of
reports already written.   Study 13 "Respiratory Health Effects
Related to Ultrafine Particle Concentrations and Properties",
should be given top priority and funded at a higher level than
requested.   I have no financial interest in study 13 and no
personal connection to those proposing  study 13, except the fact
that I could have died in January had I and my family not
responded correctly to the very first onset of my heart attack
symptoms. 


Terry Wirth
1778 Orchard Wood Rd
Ensinitas, CA 92024
760-494-8821