14 DAY TRIAL // Faced with undeniable evidence, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has no choice but to make public the fact that exhaust fumes coming from diesel engines don't just harm the environment, but are also responsible for cases of cancer.
Besides cancer, it seems that the chemical compounds released into the atmosphere during the process of burning diesel fuel can also cause heart disease, emphysema, bronchitis and aggravate existing asthma symptoms.
According to a news release delivered yesterday by the IARC, diesel exhausts are the roughly the equivalent of asbestos and arsenic in terms of health risk, and researchers had no choice but to place all of these in the same category of cancer risk.
NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) reports that Christopher Portier, chairman for IARC, explained how “The scientific evidence was compelling and the working group's conclusion was unanimous: diesel engine exhaust causes lung cancer in humans.”
IARC's chairman also added that “Given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide.”
Now, it is a well-known fact that most of the world's nations are making considerable efforts to cut down on their use of diesel fuel and thus diminish the amount of pollution caused by it.
However, it seems that we still have a long way to go, as on an yearly basis roughly 50,000 premature deaths and staggering health costs ($300 billion / €240 billion) are linked to the exhaust fumes produced by various means of transportation still powered by diesel engines.
The good news is that, starting with the year 2006, most of the diesel fuel used in Europe and North America has a low sulfur content, therefore being both more environmentally and health-friendly.
Hopefully, countries such as China, India and Mexico, and territories in Africa, Asia and Latin America – where high-sulfur diesel fuel is still being used – will soon step up and take appropriate measures.