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DIESEL ENGINE EXHAUST FUMES
WORKING TOGETHER TO BEAT OCCUPATIONAL CANCER

NO TIM
TITIME
ME
LLOOSE
TO LOSE

Follow the campaign at twitter.com/_NTTL

www.notimetolose.org.uk

Diesel fumes can

give you cancer

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DIESEL ENGINE EXHAUST FUMES
The dangers of diesel fumes
- This toolbox talk is designed to raise awareness among your workers of the risks from some diesel fumes
- Its aimed at anyone who comes into contact on a regular, sustained basis with diesel fumes which have the potential to affect their health
- Each sheet has a list of FAQs or notes that you can use to respond to questions, or to supplement your talk
- Hand out IOSHs free leaflet or pocket card on diesel fumes to support this talk
- Hand out IOSHs free infographic giving a quick overview of the issue

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DIESEL ENGINE EXHAUST FUMES

IT COULD BE YOU
- do you buy a lottery ticket regularly?
- would you wait in a queue to get a rollover ticket?
- your chance of winning the lottery is 1 in 14 million
- your chance of getting a work-caused cancer is 1 in 200

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It could be you
- Based on UK national lottery data and national occupational cancer statistics adjust the figures using local data if you need to
- Ask people to put their hand up if they regularly buy lottery tickets. Ask them how long theyd bother queuing for if it was a rollover week

The not so lucky numbers

- When they see how much higher a chance they have of getting an occupational cancer, explain that they are 70,000 times more likely to get a
work-related cancer than of picking the winning lottery numbers
- In the UK alone, around 500,000 workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of diesel fumes
- Across Europe, more than 3.6 million people could be exposed
- Some types of diesel contain more than 10 times the soot particles of petrol. Its the soot particles that include carcinogenic cancer-causing
substances. If youre regularly exposed to these over a long time, you have a 40 per cent higher chance of getting lung cancer
- Remind your audience that it can take just a few minutes to make sure theyre protected against harmful diesel fumes no longer than it takes
to stand in line for a lottery ticket

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DIESEL FUMES CAN BE DEADLY

- diesel fumes can cause lung and bladder cancer
- cancer caused by diesel fumes has killed thousands worldwide
- 650 people in the UK alone will die this year from cancer caused by
diesel fumes they were exposed to at work

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- Try a practical demonstration if you want to make your session more interactive and memorable look at our engagement ideas sheet

Questions you may get asked

- These figures seem high how can it be proved?

There has been research done in a number of different countries linking diesel fume exposure to the work people do and the cancer they get. In the UK, a recent research
report, funded by the Health and Safety Executive and the largest of its kind in the world, looked at patients who suffered from different forms of cancer and then linked
it to the work they did. Dr Rushton and her team of researchers found a strong link between diesel exposure at work and lung and bladder cancers

- What about if people smoke, isnt that what gives them lung cancer?

Robust research takes lifestyle issues into account. The Rushton research was adjusted to reflect what are known as confounding factors like smoking. People who dont
smoke can still get lung cancer as a result of diesel fume exposure. People who do smoke and are exposed to diesel fumes are more likely to get lung cancer than if they
just smoked

- Diesel is much cleaner now is this still a problem?

It depends on the standards in the country youre operating in. For example, in EU countries, there should are higher standards since 1992/93 there has been a steady
reduction in allowable emissions on new vehicles including cars, trucks, trains, tractors and barges. The latest reductions were in 2008/09 with the Euro 5/V standard
and in 2013/14 with the Euro 6/VI standard. In other parts of the world, for example Africa and Asia, standards for diesel are lower. Different equipment will have
different standards too for example, a diesel generator would not be covered by some vehicle exhaust emission standards, and seagoing ships are excluded. In addition,
remember that more recent vehicle emission standards only apply to new vehicles so older vehicles are likely to be producing higher emissions

- What is it in diesel that causes cancer?

The risk of cancer is linked with the particulate emissions in the fumes the soot, rather than the gases or vapours. Diesel engine exhaust exposure is now often measured
by the elemental carbon concentrations in the air inhaled by workers

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WHAT WE ARE DOING TO PROTECT YOU

- weve assessed whether youre at risk from diesel exposure
- weve taken action to protect you from diesel fume exposure
- weve set up a system to check your health

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Notes
- Youll obviously need to tailor this sheet to reflect what action youve taken make it relevant to your business

- Under risk assessment, you can talk about checking things like:

the type of diesel being used

whether diesel fumes are at toxic levels

whether fumes are building up in closed-in areas

whether fumes are making sooty deposits or a smoky haze in the workplace

- Under taking action, you can talk about things like:

changing to another type of fuel

maintaining old engines properly or replacing them

using ventilation systems or filters

asking employees to turn engines off when theyre not being used (this not only cuts harmful emissions, but will mean lower fuel costs and
less impact on the environment too)

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PROTECTING YOURSELF...

- ask if you want more information

- do what youre asked to protect yourself - always do your job in the
way youve been told to
- if you need to wear protective kit, make sure it fits properly and you use
it the right way - and use it every time you need to
- make sure your team-mates do the same
- report any problems to your employer - eg faulty or missing equipment

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Notes
- If workers want to know more, give out our free factsheet, worker leaflet or pocket card
- Remind workers that they shouldnt take shortcuts rules are there for a reason
- Stress that face-fit testing is needed if workers have to wear RPE to protect them from diesel fumes if their protective kit doesnt fit, it wont
work. And remind your audience that they need to wear it every time its needed
- Remind workers that their work-mates may be putting colleagues health at risk too if they dont follow the processes set up
- And remind workers to speak up if something isnt working properly control measures are there for a reason

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...AND SIGNS TO LOOK OUT FOR

- walls or surfaces covered in soot
- there is a smoky-looking haze when diesel engines are used
- there is a blue or black smoke from diesel exhaust fumes
- ...and if youve had a cough for more than three weeks or have
blood in your urine, contact your doctor

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Notes
- These are all signs that could mean that diesel fume exposure is too high encourage your workers to talk up if they think
things need checking out
- Encourage people to get professional medical advice if they have a lingering health problem. In most cases, it wont be serious
but if there is a significant health issue then getting it diagnosed early can help make treatment more effective

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What are we going to do differently today?