Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan- Diesel emissions are estimated to be responsible for "0 per cent of cancer risk arising from air pollution, and over a long period of time can dramatically raise the risk of potentially deadly blood clots, a study has found.

The alarming figure is a cause for concern in Brunei Darussalam, where a high percentage of vehicles are diesel-powered with the majority of owners overlooking the fact that the exhausts have to be cleaned regularly to reduce the amount of smoke and soot emitted.

"I find it unacceptable that I have to breathe in these black fumes from an irresponsible driver in front of me," says one road user who expressed his frustrations over the poisonous gases.

"Even with my window up, the smoke still penetrates the vehicle as there is so much of it." he continued.

The major components of diesel exhaust include carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, formaldehyde and tiny soot particles that carry substances called polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classifies diesel emissions as a "likely carcinogen". Diesel emissions are estimated to be responsible for 70 per cent of the cancer risk arising from air pollution, according to the California Air Resources Board. Dangers from diesel exhaust can range from respiratory illnesses including asthma and bronchitis to lung cancer and heart disease.

Children are more vulnerable to the effects of diesel exhaust than adults because they breathe more quickly and take more air into their developing lungs.

Furthermore, increasing exposure to tiny pollutant particles in the air ups the chances of suffering a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or blood clot in the legs, researchers discovered.

As the density of particulate matter rose, so did the likelihood of having blood clots. For every 10 microgram’s per square meter increase, the risk of developing DVT goes up by 70 percent.

Scientists also found that the blood of people most exposed to the particles clot quickly.

Particulates are tiny grains or blobs of solid and liquid chemicals produced by burning fossil fuels, small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, according to the findings published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

For instance, a National Institutes of Health panel estimated that reducing exposure to soot by one microgram (to 14 microgram’s per Cubic meter of air) would save as many as 24,000 deaths per year— as well as produce significant health benefits to those suffering from lung-related disorders and disease.

Steps can be taken to reduce the toxic fumes significantly. But it comes at a cost.

Diesel particulate filters, which cost around US$700 each, can cut tailpipe emissions by a whopping 85 per cent. And "closed crankcase filtration systems", which are installed under the hood and filter the discharges that come directly from the engine's crankcase vent, can cut engine soot by nearly 90 per cent at a cost of around US$7,500 each. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin