Diesel exhaust is cancer-causing: U.N. health body

Health ( 12 )

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

Back to top

Order by Time Order by Popularity

12 Comments

Login to comment

  • 3

    REMzzz

    Yes. Yes. Yes. Finally.

    Until now, they've been blaming us, the smokers... time to look at everything else around. Not every death is a tobacco death!

  • 0

    Vesperto

    Er... since when is this news?

    also concluded on Tuesday that petrol, or gasoline, exhaust was possibly carcinogenic,

    Yeah... duh, so why single out diesel? All exhaust fumes are bad for you, period. REMzzz's cigarette smoke also. At least diesel engines are less inefficient than petrol ones.

    Next there's gonna be a "scientist" or entrepreneur suggesting refurbishing cars with petrol engines instead of diesel.

    The japanese are so green these days after Fukushima, try skipping the hybrids and go full electric. Of course... you'll need more electricity for that... Nevermind then, keep the diesel engines.

  • 1

    REMzzz

    At least diesel engines are less inefficient than petrol ones.

    Diesel is simply more energy-dense than petrol. So you use less fuel volume to produce the same amount of CO2 and power, with more particulates. Yes, there is less fuel to transport, but it's all relative. When you factor in that diesel-powered cars use a cast-iron engine block rather than aluminum, it kind of evens out...

    Now if you want to say that something really is bad, a gross polluter, take a look at Wankel rotary engines... talk about incomplete combustion :)

  • 2

    REMzzz

    My point is that here in America, the likes of American Cancer Society and American Lung Association have convinced everyone that each time a nonsmoker dies of lung cancer that the smokers are to blame. People automatically assume that now.

    But the same people that complain about me smoking are the ones who are going jogging along busy roads and over freeway overpasses, some even jog along the freeway, where we have a chain link fence in place of a sound wall. Crazy. If you want to train for a marathon, do in in the suburbs, not where you run past a Mack truck idling at a red light and then have the same truck catch up to you a minute later with a big plume of soot.

    I'm tired of the double standards, that's all.

  • 1

    Dennis Bauer

    i thought that this was common knowledge?

  • 0

    Vesperto

    The USGov makes money "liberating" oil-rich countries to drive an oil-based economy. No hybrid Mustangs last time i checked. No wonder all the attention gets shifted to cigarette smoke ;)

    Wenkels are mechanically simpler, quite interesting, if it wasn't for the sealing problems. :( Does Mazda still produce them? Diesels need cast iron to withstand the required pressure to combust diesel rather than explode petrol. I guess they even out but i still think diesel makes more sense.

    Feel free to offer me a Tesla for Chrismas :D

  • 0

    REMzzz

    Wenkels are mechanically simpler, quite interesting, if it wasn't for the sealing problems. :( Does Mazda still produce them?

    Haven't checked, but the new US emission requirements most likely mean no, not anymore. It was also emission reduction requirements, the older ones that cause those engines to explode. Mazda barely squeezed by, by using a thinner, lighter oil in the US than they do in Europe, to bring the car to market. It worked, but even in the best case those engines are not designed to last more than 200,000 miles, and most had the seals blow up sooner. Using heavier oil is important for longevity, but of course the car will burn more gas as a result. The engines are actually expected burn some oil too, and this is why no one should ever use synthetic in those, because it will coat the cat and not burn off.

    Anyway, those are fun and so are the diesels :) A friend of mine owns an ~ '82 Benz diesel, you could almost say it's mint condition if not for one paint chip on the trunk lid. It's an off-white, vanilla kind of color, and beige leather seats that do still smell like leather. It's his only car and a daily driver, super reliable and i did ride along once, must say it put a smile on my face :)

    Emissions-wise, those are visible, esp on a cold start.

  • 1

    nandakandamanda

    Ten or fifteen years ago it was announced here in Japan that diesel exhaust was cancer-causing. There were higher cancer rates among those living near highway tunnel exits. The minute particulates work their way down into the recesses of the lungs, apparently. Diesel and pollen combined to cause misrable allergies here too. Diesel engines were banned in Tokyo and other major cities without expensive special extra filters attached.

    Back in Europe they were still announcing that diesel was the new clean energy, creating less CO2. I remember hearing the wonders of diesel being extolled on the TV and radio there and how car manufacturers were gearing up for a new generation of diesel cars. No-one would listen to what I had learnt in Japan. Diesel was cheaper than gas/petrol and everyone was happy. Since then the price of diesel has shot up with the increase in diesel car production, in some cases to overtake the price of pertrol/gas.

    Now some clever WHO people come up with this... er... news?

  • 0

    Onniyama

    Has this not been know for a couple of decades already? Someone needs a kick in the head!

  • 0

    hameln

    Back in Europe they were still announcing that diesel was the new clean energy, creating less CO2.

    And they still hope it is. If we can produce diesel from algae (or other biomass), it can easily replace our dependance of oil. We could easily make it from coal, but that wouldn't be "green".

  • 0

    Thunderbird2

    i thought that this was common knowledge?

    Yeah so did I

  • -2

    Pukey2

    REMZZZ:

    I'm tired of the double standards, that's all.

    Sorry, but when was the last time you heard of a truck gatecrashing a restaurant and spewing out fumes while people are trying to enjoy their meals. There's a reason why I don't have breakfast out on the streets.

Back to top

Login to leave a comment

OR

More in Health

View all

View all