What Are the Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust?

Diesel-burning engines are common in many automobiles, generators, heavy-duty vehicles, and locomotives. The exhaust emitted by these engines contains a large number of chemicals and gases as well as heavier particulate matter that can be inhaled through the lungs. These chemicals include nitrous oxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, benzene, nickel, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, all of which can have significant negative health effects.

Short-Term Effects

• The inhalation of diesel fumes provides a number of short-term health effects that may last from a few minutes to a few days. They include a feeling of being light-headed or "high;" a burning in the eyes, nose, and throat; heartburn; headache; unusual sensations in the extremities; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; and vomiting. These symptoms can be brought on by one or more of the chemicals within the emissions.

Respiratory Damage

• Long-term exposure to diesel fumes can result in a number of chronic ailments, most of which affect the lungs. Studies have suggested that people exposed to these emissions over a long period of time are more likely to have chronic respiratory symptoms, bronchitis, emphysema and reduced lung capacity. The most vulnerable to these ailments are the elderly and children, who do not have fully mature lungs. Diesel exhaust can also contribute to asthma attacks and the inflammation of lung tissue, which inhibits breathing.

Cancer

• The particulate matter from diesel exhaust is able to enter deep into the lungs and damage DNA, which can lead to cancer. A number of agencies, including the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the World Health Organization, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have concluded that diesel engine exhaust is probably a human carcinogen. The California Air Resources Board estimates that, statistically, diesel engine emissions are responsible for the majority of cancer cases attributable to air pollution. The EPA also found that extracts of diesel emissions placed on mice caused skin cancer.

Miscellaneous Effects

• Much of the particulate matter found within diesel exhaust can be responsible for a variety of pernicious health effects. The carbon monoxide found within diesel exhaust can aggravate heart disease and affect coordination. One study found that diesel fumes can increase blood clot formation and blood platelet activity in healthy subjects, raising their risk of heart attack and stroke. The exhaust has also been shown to raise the rates of infant death and premature birth.

Indirect Health Effects

• Diesel exhaust, which contains a number of greenhouse gases, has also been shown to increase global warming and decrease visibility. Decreased visibility has been shown to lead to an increase in accidents, while the negative health effects of global warming, if left unchecked, are manifold.