Medical impact of diesel particles

Diesel particles arise during the engine combustion of diesel fuel. Due to the continuously engine development, more and more small and fine diesel particles are emitted. Particles are belong to the class of fine dust and are only some nanometres big - too small to be noticed by the human eyes. One nanometre is equivalent to one thousandth millimetre. Dust coming from the surface of streets, fields or dust from the breaks of cars are much bigger and do not belong to the fine dust classification in this respect.

After emerging, the particles are emitted through the exhaust gas piping of the vehicles to the ambient air, where they are inhaled by human beings. Bigger particles are held back by human cleaning devices such as the nose hair and mucous membranes. These mechanisms are not able to prevent the human being from inhaling the fine diesel particles. Therefore, they are able to reach even the alveoli of the lungs. Due to the reason that particles are no gases, they neither could be exhaled nor degenerated - they remain in the lungs.

Diesel particles consist mainly of carbon. Due to the engine combustion, the particles are loaded with other harmful substances. A human being is normally able to clean the lungs from inhaled substances by the so called feed-cells. They enclose those substances and try to decompose them. As a result of the chemical composition of diesel particles these cells are not able to act in that way. The body reacts on the successless efforts by producing uncontrolled excrescence - called cancer.

Today, there are a lot of studies and results from animal experiments which prove that the probability to get ill by cancer is higher if a human being is exposed to diesel emissions. People working on construction sites, mines, in direct contact with the diesel engines or people living in overcrowded areas or nearby highly frequented streets are exposed to diesel particles exorbitantly. The dangerousness of diesel particles legitimates the efforts in reducing the emissions to keep the healthiness of human beings.