Fumes from diesel engines are thought to be responsible for around 7,000
deaths a year as experts claim air pollution has a similar impact on the
heart as smoking
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/10796035/Diesel-engines-responsible-for-7000-deaths-a-year.html
By Sarah Knapton, April 2014
Dirty diesel engines are responsible for more than 7,000 deaths a year and the
biggest polluters should be banned, experts have warned.
Particulates spewed out into the air by diesel cars, vans and buses account
for one quarter of pollution in the atmosphere and have a similar impact on
the heart as smoking.
Around 29,000 deaths a year are caused by pollution so experts believe that
diesel alone is responsible for 25 per cent of the fatalities – around 7,250
deaths.
Diesel contains tiny toxic particles which pass through the lungs and enter
every organ in the body. Both pollutants sharply raise the risk of heart
attacks, stroke and asthma problems.
A recent study also found diesel fume harm children’s brains leaving them at
risk of developing schizophrenia and autism.