A report issued this week by the Environmental Defense Fund maintained that 87 percent of the city's heating oil soot pollution is created by burning the dirtiest heating oils available in only one percent of all buildings in New York City.

"As a result of burning this toxic sludge (No. 4 and 6 oil) - which New York uses more than any other big city - 9,000 large buildings spew out about 1,000 tons of toxic soot pollution every year. Soot pollution aggravates asthma, increases the risk of cancer, exacerbates respiratory illnesses and can cause premature death," the report declared.

Entitled "The Bottom of the Barrel: How the Dirtiest Heating Oil Pollutes Our Air and Harms Our Health," the study shows that "the city's levels of nickel-a heavy metal that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by thickening the walls of arteries-are nine times higher than other U.S. cities."

Isabelle Silverman, a co-author of the report and an attorney for Environmental Defense Fund, said that "dirty heating oil produces toxic pollution that millions of New Yorkers are forced to breathe every day," adding that "the city government should phase out the use of dirty heating oil. EDF stands ready to help city policy makers, building owners and managers to complete the job by 2020."

Most burners installed over the last 15 years can burn any of the three heating oil grades (No. 2, 4 or 6) or natural gas, the report said, adding that "low income buildings can apply for boiler and burner replacement funding available from the U.S. Department of Energy."

The report recommends a 10-year window for building owners to convert from No. 4 and No. 6 oil to much cleaner No. 2 oil or natural gas, stating that the switch would reduce soot pollution from buildings burning No. 6 oil by 95 percent.

Although No. 2 oil is about 10 percent more expensive than No. 6 oil, the report said that "best maintenance practices and low-cost efficiency measures can significantly lower fuel usage and save buildings money." Natural gas is cheaper to buy than No. 4 or No. 6 oil.

A report released Tuesday by the New York City Department of Health (DOH) showed that buildings using the dirtiest heating oils-No. 4 and No. 6-are a major cause of the city's high air pollution levels and that New York burns two out of every three gallons of this sludge used for heating in the United States.

The DOH report shows the worst air pollution in the areas with the highest concentration of sludge burning buildings. The Upper East Side and Upper West Side are the areas with the highest concentration of sludge burning buildings in the city.

Some of the City's most iconic structures burn No. 6 oil in their boilers, including: the Flatiron Building (at 5th Avenue and 23rd St. in Manhattan), the San Remo (at Central Park West between 74th and 75th streets), The Dakota (Central Park West at 72nd St.) and The Beresford (211 Central Park West).

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley released the New York City Community Air Survey, the first-ever comprehensive survey of street-level air quality in New York City. The survey reveals wide variations in wintertime air quality across the City, with the highest levels of pollution occurring in areas with heavier traffic and a greater concentration of oil-burning boilers in commercial and residential buildings.

The findings show that Manhattan and the more built-up, high-traffic locations in the other boroughs have the city's highest particulate levels, as well as higher concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and elemental carbon. The Mayor discussed the ambitious study, launched as part of PlaNYC, in remarks at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

Mayor Bloomberg said that "This study clearly demonstrates the impacts that pollution from vehicles and certain oil-burning boilers has on our neighborhoods - and it shows us that the most densely populated areas are also the most polluted."