Perilous Diesel

Recommended QUEST Resources

• Behind-the-scenes photos from this story-- Perilous Diesel

  See and discuss more photos from our TV & radio stories, Perilous Diesel.

• Tiny, but Deadly: Air Pollution Researcher Raises Alarm over Diesel Soot (web only)

  We know it's a health threat, but what exactly makes diesel pollution so dangerous? QUEST segment producer Gabriela Quirós talks with toxicologist John Froines, director of the Southern California Particle Center at UCLA, to learn more about the medical science of air pollution. Read more in this Q&A.

• Discuss the Perilous Diesel TV story

  Discuss the Perilous Diesel story on the KQED QUEST Community Science Blog.

• Plug-In Hybrid Cars

  A group of Bay Area engineers is trying to launch a green car revolution at 100 mpg by souping up Toyota's Prius. The holy grail of their "plug-in hybrids:" less smog, less global warming and a cure for America's oil addiction.

• Asthma: What Brought on the Epidemic?

  The rates of childhood asthma in the United States rose 160 percent from 1980 to 1994 and have remained high ever since, making this chronic lung illness the country's third most common pediatric disease. QUEST meets Bay Area researchers who are investigating possible environmental and social culprits.

• Biodiesel Road Trip

  It's pretty easy to drive a converted biodiesel car when you live in the Bay Area, but what about a road trip? Our Quest producers drive to LA. and back in a biodiesel van to see how easy it is to be green.

• Perilous Diesel (radio)

  Your tennis shoes. That radio you're listening to. If it wasn't made in the U.S., chances are it passed through the Port of Oakland, the fourth busiest Port in the country. But there's a downside to that convenience and those affordable prices, as Amy Standen reports.

• Get the Soot Out

  That black, sooty exhaust from old diesel trucks may be a thing of the past. A landmark decision expected next week at the state Air Resources Board would mean California truckers must retrofit their diesel rigs at a price tag of about $5 billion. The cost is high, but given the health complications from diesel emissions, air pollution regulators feel they can't afford not to act.

Additional Links

• Port of Oakland

  The Port of Oakland invests resources in quality facilities and services for local airport, real estate, and seaport tenants and customers, so that through their activities they create economic vitality, jobs and waterfront enjoyment for Oakland and the region.

• The Pacific Institute

  The Pacific Institute is an independent, nonpartisan think-tank studying issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security.

• EBASE: East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy

  The East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy advances economic and social justice by building power and raising standards for working families.

• The Prescott Joseph Center

  Prescott-Joseph serves as a friendly, helping hand for the community of West Oakland.