Heating Oil Polluting Air

New York City is undoubtedly polluted from street cars, buses and taxis but is dramatically affected by heating oil. No. 6 heating oil is mostly the source of air pollution, the cheapest but worst type in the boilers. Also used is No. 4 heavy oil which is also cheap and hardly less polluting. City officials including Mayor Bloomberg and health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley are working to regulate these oils. A recent survey of air quality done almost 2 weeks ago show the most pollutants around buildings burning No. 4 or No. 6 oils. Along with this survey, the Environmental Defense Fund concluded that these buildings, just 1% of all the buildings in the city, create 87% of the soot pollution from heating oil.

Some building owners are fighting these new regulations while others are becoming even more green. To replace the dirty oil burners and to switch heating systems could cost up to $100,000. And on top of that, the cleaner oil costs more money than the dirty oils; up to 60 cents less a gallon. However, some buildings are converting and even going one step further. A building in Greenwich Village is currently converting to natural gas while installing 2 roods with absorbant vegetation and energy-efficient windows.


If people are going to run large buildings, they should run them right. The environment faces enough stress as it is. Any solutions to try to make the air quality better should be used to matter the cost. It will ultimately do more good in the long run. Polluted air causes irritated lungs, asthma, emphysema and increases the risk of a heart attack. All these conditions could be decreased and maybe eliminated by simply paying 60 cents more a gallon for cleaner burning oils.

Navarro, Mireya (2010 January 1). Studies Find Heavy Heating Oil Has Severe Effect on Air Quality. The New York Times. Retrived from http://www.nytimes.com