New Delhi, May 14 (). Experts said prolonged exposure to diesel pollution, which comprises a complex mixture of pollutants, can have serious health effects on humans. The government is also considering banning diesel vehicles.
A government panel constituted by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has recommended a ban on the use of diesel-based four-wheelers by 2027 in cities with a population of over one million.
The main pollutants from diesel exhaust include nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).
Short-term exposure to diesel exhaust can cause nose and eye irritation, changes in lung function, respiratory changes, headache, fatigue, and nausea. Prolonged cough and poor lung function have been observed with prolonged exposure.
Vivek Nangia, principal director and head of pulmonology, Max Super Specialty Hospital, Saket, told , “Vehicle smoke is a common contributor to air pollution, with diesel exhaust particulates forming a significant portion of the particulate matter emitted in many towns and cities.”
He said, exposure to smoke causes significant changes in the airways, which can be even more harmful in people with chronic lung diseases such as bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, etc. It is also believed that diesel exhaust particulates are an important factor contributing to allergies because they act as allergen adjuvants and enhance the sensitization response.
A recent study from the Universities of British Columbia and Victoria in Canada showed that even moderate levels of traffic pollution are capable of impairing brain function in just a few hours.
Another study of 1.4 million children under the age of 10 by the Universities of Manchester in the UK and Aarhus in Denmark showed that exposure to high levels of nitrogen dioxide and PM 2.5 increased the likelihood of self-harm in adulthood by 50 percent increases up to
These two pollutants are most closely linked to heart and lung diseases, as they enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation.
Air pollution contributes to approximately 6 million preterm births globally each year. The exhaust emitted by diesel engines has also been linked to increased rates of neuro-developmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism.
Head of Critical Care and Pulmonology, C.K. Diesel engines emit a complex mixture of pollutants, said Kuldeep Kumar Grover of Birla Hospital, Gurugram. Apparently, they are very small carbon particles, known as diesel particulate matter. So if their size is small, they will enter our organs, especially the lungs.
Diesel exhaust contains more than 40 cancer-causing substances, thus diesel engine emissions are thought to be responsible for so many cancer-related pollutants, he said. That is why various factors increase the health risk of exposure to diesel particulates.
One possible solution is to switch to electric and gas-fuelled vehicles, as suggested by a government panel.
A latest study by the University of Southern California uses real-world data to provide evidence that an increase in electric vehicles can improve air quality and health.
The study found that air pollution and health problems decreased when electric vehicles increased.
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