The Ohio State University studies the impact on our air from light trucks, SUVs and minivans

We often write about the problems associated with the huge numbers of light trucks, SUV's and minivans here in America. It's true: The highest volume of vehicles sold are trucks like the Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram, Nissan Titan and now the new Toyota Tundra. Minivans are still pretty good sellers too, and Chrysler is just now rolling out their redesigned models. But, a recent study by The Ohio State University found that the tailpipe emissions from these vehicles is only about a half a percent higher than your basic sedan. So, what's the big deal? Well, as we already brought out, "There are easily tens of millions of light trucks on the roads every day," according to Timothy Buckley, the study's senior author and an associate professor of environmental health sciences at Ohio State University. Buckley goes on, "That small difference becomes tremendously magnified when you consider the billions of miles traveled by automobiles every day in this country."

Their findings came from a study of a particular parking garage in Baltimore, Maryland. Results were gathered eight hours a day, from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., for 24 consecutive days. The goal was to look into what happens in so-called "micro-environments," like parking garages. The numbers can be used to draw many conclusions, but remember to keep in mind that this is a small study in one particular area. But it does remind us that what we drive has a definite impact on our surroundings.

[Source: The Ohio State University]