Diesel emissions are a significant health hazard and contributor to air pollution.  Something all persons who work or play around diesel powered equipment should be aware of, farmers, truck drivers, station employees, mechanics, and even EMS workers, just to name a few.  Studies confirm and reconfirm the instinctual notion that diesel fumes are, indeed, foul.

 

Diesel fumes can be deadly long term.  Diesel exhaust differs from the exhaust of gasoline engines largely because of the volume of substance-laden soot emitted, which makes diesel exhaust notoriously black.  Attached to the carbon particles that cause the soot are many nasty products of combustion including nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and many more.  In all, diesel exhaust contains more than 40 chemicals that are listed by the EPA as toxic air contaminants.

 

Prolonged exposure to diesel fumes is dangerous.  Eye irritation at the end of a long haul may not be so much due to sleep deprivation as to hours spent in diesel fumes.  Coughing, because of respiratory tract irritation, is also common.  Both effects tend to be short term, disappearing when contact with the source of exposure ends.  Making a habit of being surrounded by the fumes can lead to chronic cough, chest discomfort, and breathlessness.  Worse, long term, repeated exposure to diesel fumes over a period of years may increase the risk of lung cancer.  These risks are shown to be higher than those involving exposure to gasoline exhaust emissions.

 

Certain factors can affect the quantity and composition of diesel fumes.  Regular maintenance to keep engines in tune with correct fuel pump settings is helpful.  The quality of the fuel matters, as does the engine temperature and workload demand.  The EPA has adopted new regulations requiring a steep reduction of emission from new diesel powered buses, heavy duty trucks, and, yes, ambulances by 2007.  The American Petroleum Institute and other groups are working to reduce the sulfur content of diesel fuel by 90%.

 

Until the new rules and technologies take effect, the best bet is awareness of and minimization of the risks.  Although controlling exposure of these fumes may more easily be said than done, the individual who pays attention has some simple options.  Take advantage of every opportunity to get out of the fumes by going outside if you work inside.  Truck drivers need to walk away from idling engines whenever possible, turning off the engine if working near the exhaust.  The same needs to be said about farm tractors.  Keep garage and/or bay doors open, run fans, or use exhaust hoses whenever possible if working in a garage.  Basically, the best strategy is to avoid exposure to the exhaust of diesel engines whenever possible.