Even "clean diesel" still pollutes significantly

It has been estimated that two million people die worldwide each year due to over-pollution , and that life expectancies have been significantly decreased, with tens of millions suffering from illnesses related to pollution, such as lung and heart diseases, breathing difficulties and chest pains. Besides the environmental impact of pollution on our water and soil and how that eventually leads to our bodies, air pollution is recognized by medical authorities to be a primary public health issue.

• There are true dangers from vehicle exhaust; emissions of nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOC) react with sunlight, creating ozone after a complex chemical reaction. Even small inhaled amounts can cause reactive coughing in healthy individuals, along with chest pain, throat irritation and shortness of breath.
• Carbon monoxide emissions enter the bloodstream, lowering the delivery of oxygen to the tissues and organs in the body.
• TOMPS, or Toxic Organic Micro Pollutants, are highly toxic chemicals brought on by incomplete fuel combustion. TOMPS can be carcinogenic, bringing about various health issues such as cancer, nervous system disorders, lowered immunity and restricted development in children. Any amount of carcinogenic pollutants can create damage to the body, without a “threshold dose.”
• Research confirms that traffic pollution is the primary contributor of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and VOC, as well as TOMPS emissions in the world’s air today.
• In urban areas with a high number of buildings, more traffic means higher pollution levels, which are effectively being held in by the high walls of the buildings. This in turn leads to visible smog that does not go away easily. Vision is blurred and health is negatively impacted.

Carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide emissions from diesel powered vehicles may be significantly lower than what is emitted by gasoline engines, but diesel still creates nitrous and other particulates that are detrimental to our health. A modern engine using “clean” diesel emits 20-30 times higher nitrous emissions than petrol/gasoline engines; the diesel emissions also contain more particulate matter than the latter. Diesel exhaust, also known as Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM), is proven to cause sudden and severe symptoms of dizziness, nausea, headaches and breathing difficulties, even in the short term. Long term exposure to these exhaust emissions can bring on chronic health problems like lung cancer and heart diseases.

The CARB, or California Air Resources Board, confirmed in 1998 that diesel particulate matter is a serious “toxic air contaminate” that is likely to cause lead to cancer and premature death, as well as to various other health problems. The American Lung Association has estimated that DPM is involved in at least 4,700 premature deaths each year in many major cities across the U.S. DPM is considered by some to be potentially even greater in danger than what has been stated, as most of its particles are too minute for the body to filter properly and easily get into the tissues of the lungs, where they can potentially wreak irreparable harm over the long term.

Four steps have been taken to fight DPM pollution: