Citizen complaint of the day: It's bad enough a building down the street collapsed

http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/may2000/niehs-15.htm

Here's a more recent report:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/08/29/health/m...

Which dances around the obvious evidence, almost certainly due to industry pressure. Want to know why it's been so hard to get diesel passenger cars here? Because the sulfur content in our diesel fuel is so high compared to Europe and elsewhere. Want to guess why that is? Because the oil industry doesn't want to have to change their formulae, and the trucking industry doesn't want to have to adopt more modern engines which won't require the sulfur (which acts as a lubricant for fuel system components.)

Nevermind that: the idling vehicles are breaking a state law long on the books which the city's emergency services departments perpetually forget they're NOT exempt from:

http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/Part...

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/ehs/docs/ehs/massidlingla...

(There used to be a copy of the law on the state AG's website, too.)

It used to be emergency vehicles were left running "in case they won't start", which was a concern almost exclusively from the age of carburetor engines which could vapor-lock from a hot engine.

These days, it's mostly because Officer Cupcake is sitting in his cruiser guarding a construction site in case the hole escapes....which is not a permitted on two levels (the idling, nor sitting in the cruiser while on detail. While we're on the subject: it's also against regulations for an officer to be talking on a cell phone while on detail.)

In fact, the state DEP is specifically trying to target ambulance drivers, police, and fire fighters:

https://www.mass.gov/dep/air/community/depirkit.doc

Oddly enough, diesels are more of a health concern (they're usually pretty efficient at idling), whereas gasoline engines are more of a fuel concern (they're very inefficient at idling.)

police cars have computers in them and if the engine is not running then the computer will kill the battery if its not shut off. Some departments dispatch by way of computer. If the police car has its blue lights on and the engine not running that could kill the battery. If they are sitting there for a reason they may not tell you why when you confront them, if they're screwing off they sure arn't going to tell you that either.