Health Hazards from Diesel Engines

A study to assess the knowledge and attitude of diesel car drivers

towards the hazards of diesel exhaust.
Garima Khadka (Matrikel Nr.2444982) Srijan Thakurathi (Matrikel Nr.2444978)
MPH W19/20 MPH W19/20

This was an observational study to assess the level of pre-existing

INTRODUCTION knowledge and attitudes towards diesel exhaust and it’s effect on
health and environment. A set of 22 questions were formulated and
Diesel has always been the primary choice for Heavy and Light duty handed over to diesel car drivers. Most of the respondents were
vehicles for commercial purposes.(1) Passenger cars that run on students and faculty of HAW Bergedorf Campus. Some responses
diesel are still popular in Germany, accounting for 38.7% of the total were also received through Google Forms. The sample size was 20
and the duration of survey was 3 weeks from mid-October till the first
market share in 2017.(2) Lower cost of diesel, better mileage and
week of November 2019. The questionnaire consisted of multiple-
higher power at lower speeds account for its popularity.(1) Diesel choice and open-ended questions.
engines achieve higher efficiency by burning fuel at higher
compression ratios, thereby achieving better air-fuel ratio. This
allows better utilization of fuel and less carbon monoxide emission. RESULT
But, exhaust from diesel also includes nitrous oxide(NO), particulate
matter(PM), hydrocarbons and other toxic chemicals.(3–5) Short Majority of drivers chose a diesel car due to its better mileage and
cheaper fuel. They preferred private cars because it gave them more
term exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to irritation of eyes, nose,
freedom and convenience. Not surprisingly, many of them did know
throat and respiratory tract(3,6) while long term exposure can cause about EU Emissions Standards. They were aware that older diesel
cancer. IARC has listed diesel exhaust as a Group 1 Carcinogen cars/trucks had recently been banned in two streets in Hamburg, albeit
which can cause lung cancer and also noted a positive association their attitude towards the governments’ decision wasn’t approving.
with an increased risk of bladder cancer.(7) There was a mixed response in admitting that diesel cars were more
polluting vis-à-vis petrol cars. Most of the respondents also agreed on
the various chemicals present in diesel fumes and the effect of their
AIM chronic exposure in human beings.

The purpose of this study was to assess

• the knowledge of drivers regarding hazards of diesel exhaust.
• drivers’ awareness regarding restrictions of diesel cars in certain
streets of Hamburg.*
• their opinion towards increasingly tightening regulations by the
authorities. Do they feel petrol cars are equally to blame for air
pollution?
In addition, we wanted to know why they chose to drive a diesel car
in the first place, was it due to economical reasons?

*To keep Sulphur dioxide (SO2) and Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) under EU guidelines,
Hamburg has become the first German city to ban diesel cars in certain streets. This ban
applies to trucks and cars with Euro 5 emission standards and below(8).

A road sign on Hamburg's Max-Brauer-Allee warns motorists

that older diesel vehicles are banned from using this stretch of
road. Hamburg is the first German city to ban older diesel
vehicles.
Daniel Bockwoldt/AFP/Getty Images

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, diesel car drivers are aware of potentially harmful
effects of diesel smoke to our health and the environment. Only 40
METHODOLOGY percent of respondents drove a diesel car for its’ design or increased
power. An overwhelming 70 percent were open to the idea of shifting
The project was carried out in the following manner to an ecofriendly/electric car if money and range (kms per charge)
1. Literature search in PubMed and search for verified and authentic were not an issue. The authors believe that although small, the
data from various government websites and regulatory sample size is representative of the mindset of drivers in an urban
organizations. setting. With increased regulations and incentives to drivers, they can
2. Survey be persuaded to drive ecofriendly cars. This will benefit health of
3. Analysis of data in Microsoft Excel. individuals and improve the air quality of cities like Hamburg.

REFERENCES
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between-2016-and-2017-by-country
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