Reposted from Cancer Research UK | June 14, 2012 posted by Henry Scrowcroft
International Agency for Cancer Research a branch of WHO has declared cancer fumes to be carcinogenic. This is alarming for UK because of growth in number of diesel powered vehicles. Many vehicles in Europe are diesel; many cars do better with turbo diesel engines. Audi and BMW make TD engines which are as fast and torquey as gasoline engine.
Professor David Philips explain two ways how diesel fumes contribute to formation of cancer. When diesel burns in the engine, it releases PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
1. PAH damage DNA of lung cells leading to cancer;
2. Soot particles (PM 2.5) get embedded deep into lungs causing long term inflammation leading to cancer.
Compared to smoking,# cancer caused by diesel fumes is smaller.
How about petrol engines? They emit lesser finer particles compared t diesel and hence do not contribute much to cancer formation
No comments:
Post a Comment