Heart Attack Risk Increased by Diesel Fumes

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh studied diesel emissions at levels that would be found in heavily polluted cities. They found that ultrafine particles in diesel emissions can damage heart tissue and the vascular system, because they cause the generation of free radicals internally. Damage in the veins or arteries can increase the chances of blood clot formation, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke. “For now our advice remains the same – people with heart disease should avoid spending long periods outside in areas where traffic pollution is likely to be high, such as on or near busy roads,” said Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation. Their study paper was published the European Heart Journal paper – “Combustion-derived nanoparticulate induces the adverse vascular effects of diesel exhaust inhalation,”

So, what are the top sources of diesel emissions? According to dPollution International Inc. a company that tries to reduce diesel pollution they are:

Long-haul transport trucks (tractor trailers)

garbage and recycling trucks

buses

construction

farming

industrial equipment

delivery vehicles

locomotives

marine vessels

Occupational exposure to diesel fumes is known to occur for truckers, dock workers, farmers, auto mechanics, miners and railroad workers. Ports are known for their handling of a tremendous volume of shipping containers with diesel-powered vessels and trucks. Their air pollution is often one of the top sources of diesel fumes, so some of them have implemented reduction programs. One of the main reduction actions is simply replacing the older more polluting trucks with new ones.

Image Credit: Public Domain

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Brad J.

9:04PM PST on Feb 18, 2012

Wow I thought diesel was always better than regular exaust fumes. I know that diesel exaust fumes will not kill you if you are dumb enough to try, only regular gas motors, for the CO2 etc. that will kill people and animals.

Thanks for the info!

send a green star

KS G.

6:20AM PDT on Oct 11, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Carole R.

10:01PM PDT on Sep 9, 2011

Scary but true.

Youssef A.

12:48PM PDT on Sep 6, 2011

"Do not Corrupt the earth..." (Quran 7:56)

Past Member .

6:03PM PDT on Aug 9, 2011

I didn't know that, but I have always hated the smell of diesel!

Jerry t.

3:40PM PDT on Aug 9, 2011

This is silly! Diesels are designed to run on peanut oil. Is there a problem here? Peanuts are the worse nuts you can eat, so why not use them for oil? And using them won't starve out the third world like other bio fuels do. Shell might not agree, but so what?
We can get 150 mph simply by vaporizing the gasoline before combustion. This improves horsepower to boot! The man who discovered this was mysteriously found dead. Same with Mr. Diesel. I don't think we should be playing this Shell game anymore.

Chris R.

2:18PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

I believe it! Thanks Jake!~

Nicole G.

1:02PM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

I livedin NYC for 17 years and after moving to San Francisco which has the green/electric buses I can actually feel the difference in my breathing!

Teresa W.

5:25AM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

thank you

heather g.

12:22AM PDT on Aug 5, 2011

Thanks for this - I'll forward it to certain authorities. I've kept copies of several studies' findings and they all concur. The bearer of the news is always made to appear as if it's their imagination ...... at least my doctor backs me on this one.