There’s no doubt that Diesel fuel exhaust exposure is widespread in this modern world.
Upon that, its rampaging side effects, on our health and climate, have attracted little or less attention.
Presently, the use of diesel fuel is on increasingly high throughout our communities, societies, and countries at large.
This is why the world needs urgent awareness to know and understand the components of diesel fuel exhaust, what they need to know before buying bulk diesel and the effect of exposure to diesel fuel exhaust.
No doubt, it’ll take a robust society to tackle and control it right now.
Evolving Facts of Diesel Fuel Usage
Not only does diesel fuel power trucks that deliver goods and products to our communities, but it also powers agricultural equipment for plant cultivation, harvesting and food processing.
In most cases, it powers buses and vehicles, too. Let’s not forget the backups generators that provide electricity during emergencies.
Historically, Diesel fuel engines are cheaper and more flexible to run than gasoline engines or other sources of power.
Risks of Diesel Fuel Exhaust
Unfortunately, diesel fuel exhaust from these engines contain components that can pose life-threatening risks to human health.
In What Does Bulk Diesel Fuel Exhaust Contain? you’ll understand the components of diesel fuel exhaust.
There are so many health issues diesel fuel exhaust can cause. The truth is, as we live our daily lives, we are prone to these exposures.
In 1998, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) completed a comprehensive health assessment of diesel fuel exhaust.
This assessment formed the basis for a decision by the California Air Resources Board (ARB).
The assessment identifies particles in diesel fuel exhaust as a toxic air contaminant that may pose a threat to human health.
The Airborne Nature of Diesel Fuel Exhaust
Since diesel fuel exhaust particulates and gases are airborne, exposure to these pollutants occurs whenever someone inhales them.
Although, people that are more vulnerable to these pollutants are the ones living and working in urban and industrial areas.
Sadly, the health hazards are not finite to these set of individuals alone.
The prevalence of diesel-fuel-powered engines makes it almost impossible to avoid exposure to its exhaust.
Invariably, whether you live in a rural or urban setting, the effect is common, prevailing, and it affects everyone equally.
Like all fuel-burning equipment, diesel fuel engines produce nitrogen oxides, which is a common air pollutant in Nigeria.
Therefore, exposure to diesel fuel exhaust can have immediate or future health consequences.
That’s why your power plant needs a standard Diesel fuel in order to curb this pervasive menace.
Health Hazard of Nitrogen Oxides From Diesel Fuel Exhaust
The name nitrogen oxides (NOx) represents a mixture of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
The formation of these gases is from natural sources, vehicles, generator exhausts and other fuel-burning processes or combustion engines.
Nitric oxide (NO) is colourless and its oxidation process takes place in the atmosphere to form nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
The oxidation process takes place in the presence of excess oxygen, O2. It’s also known as the combustion or burning process.
At room temperature, Nitric oxide, NO, is a sharp sweet-smelling gas. While nitrogen dioxide, NO2, has a strong and harsh odour, it is a liquid at room temperature and turns to a reddish-brown gas above 21°C or 70°F.
It is acidic in nature and a highly corrosive gas that can affect our health and environment – depleting the ozone layer.
Nitrogen oxides do not only cause damages to the lung tissue, but it also lowers the body’s immunity to respiratory infections.
They aggravate chronic respiratory symptoms and worsen acute lung diseases.
Certainly, this leads to an increase in the frequency or intensity of asthma attacks – wheezing and difficulty in breathing.
Furthermore, it exacerbates pre-existing asthma and very high levels can lead to asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning.
They also react with other pollutants in the atmosphere to form ozone, a major component of smog. And this is the major cause of depletion of the almighty ozone layer – ozone shield.
In consequence, the toxic gases and small particulates of diesel fuel exhaust are drawn into the lungs as we breathe.
For example, it affects the senses by reducing one’s ability to perceive odour.
Effects Of Diesel Fuel Exhaust
There are several individual components of Diesel fuel exhaust which include arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, and nickel.
They have the potential to contribute to mutations in human cells which can lead to cancer.
Hence, long-term exposure to diesel fuel exhaust components poses the highest cancer risk of any toxic air contaminant.
Approximately, an average of 70% of cancer-prone patients faces breathing toxic air pollutants originating from various combustion exhaust particles.
Furthermore, exposure to diesel fuel exhaust can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. It may also lead to cough, headaches, light-headedness, and nausea.
According to research with human volunteers, diesel fuel exhaust components make people with allergies more susceptible to the materials to which they are allergic to such as dust and pollen.
Who is at Risk of Inhaling Diesel Fuel Exhaust
A comprehensive assessment showed that more than 30% of people who worked around diesel fuel equipment are at risk. They include truck drivers, equipment operators, railroads and factory workers.
These studies provide strong evidence that long-term occupational exposure to diesel fuel exhaust increases the risk of lung cancer.
Additionally, diesel fuel exhausts are the major source of fine-particle pollution.
Likewise, it’s paramount to note that age stands to be a vital factor that contributes to the degree of receptiveness.
The elderly people with emphysema, asthma, chronic heart, and lung diseases are largely receptive to fine-particle pollution.
Since children’s lungs and respiratory systems are still developing, they are also more susceptible to these fine particles than healthy adults.
Presently, various researches have it that high levels of bulk diesel fuel exhaust components are the core cause of the tremendous increase in hospital admissions, emergency room visits, asthma attacks and, sadly, premature deaths among those suffering from respiratory problems.
The amount of diesel fuel exhaust exposure by people varies greatly.
Measuring these exposures are not always easy because diesel fuel exhaust is chemically complex. Also, many parts of it are found in a lot of other sources.
Generally, breathing air contaminants of diesel fuel or exhaust particulate is one of the most common ways the exposure spreads amongst individuals in every society.
Places Where Diesel Fuel Exhaust Can Be Inhaled
The degree of exposure to diesel fuel exhaust is relative to the level of exhaust fumes in that environment.
Some places, environments, are of a higher concentration, exposure, than others due to diesel fuel exhaust or combustion engines within.
Therefore, most susceptible or prone areas include;
1. At the place of work: Sure, some people have higher exposure ground than others. Hence, people with the highest work exposures include truck drivers, toll booth workers, and miners. Others include forklift drivers, heavy machinery operators, railroads, dock workers, garage workers, and mechanics. Some farmworkers also spend a lot of time around diesel fuel exhaust.
2. At home: Exposure to diesel fuel exhaust can occur at the residentials regardless of the level. Although it’s typically at a lower degree when compared to the workplace. Nevertheless, exposures are highest where diesel fuel traffic and exhaust discharges are heaviest. For example, exposures along highways and in the cities are greater than in the villages or nuclear settlements.
3. On the roads: Exposures to diesel fuel exhaust are higher, especially when traveling on roads with heavier trucks and bus traffic. Commuting for work is a potential source of exposure to diesel fuel exhaust for many people. Another area of concern is children’s exposure to diesel fuel exhaust. Thus, riding in school buses, as the buses themselves typically run on diesel fuel.
4. Other places: Some susceptible areas of exposure or accumulations to diesel fuel exhaust include warehouses, cars or bus depots, ferries, and ships. More so, at the garages, vehicle testing sites, fire stations, mines, where diesel generators or winch motors are in use.
In Conclusion
Regardless of negative public perceptions of this exposure, the emergence of new diesel fuel engine technology in recent years is dramatically limiting air pollutants and lessening carbon dioxide’s, CO2, emissions from engine exhausts.
Hence, modern and cleaner diesel fuel engines have a great fuel economy.
This gives almost near-zero emissions of ultrafine particles and nitrogen oxides, (NO), making them one of the most cost-effective options for reducing transport emissions.
In Nigeria, exposure to diesel fuel exhaust is still one of the biggest widespread and toxic environmental pollution. But the advancement in diesel fuel refining techniques and diesel fuel engine manufacturing are taking a great turn entirely.
These improvements have tremendously reduced emissions, exposure, of some of these pollutants associated with diesel fuel exhaust.