Los Angeles reduces diesel exhaust while cargo volumes increase

At the end of 2010, elemental carbon was down by 50% in Wilmington compared to 2006. A similar pattern occurred at the San Pedro monitoring station. These drops to the lowest levels since the port began monitoring in 2005, happened even as cargo volumes at the port have rebounded – in 2010 the port handled 16% more cargo than in 2009, but elemental carbon at both the Wilmington monitoring and San Pedro stations were 10% lower than in 2009.

Concentrations of another key air pollutant related to diesel exhaust, PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 microns in size) met federal and state standards for the third straight year, and for the first time PM10 (particles less than 10 microns in size) also met state standards in Wilmington (there is no federal standard for PM10).

Since 2005, the port has operated four air quality measurement stations: one in San Pedro, another in Wilmington, and two inside the port complex, including one in the middle of port operations. The stations are located so as to measure air quality both in the port complex and in the communities downwind of the port, where air quality is affected by emissions from the ships, trucks, terminal equipment, harbour vessels and train locomotives that move cargo through the port.