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In The News
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Tuesday, 26 June 2012 00:00 |
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On Tuesday, June 12, 2012, the WHO/IARC announced that it had determined that there was sufficient evidence that exposure with diesel exhaust is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer in humans.
The Diesel Technology Forum issued a statement upon the announcement by IARC, in part noting that "Air pollution is a critically important health issue and the diesel industry takes clean air concerns very seriously. Diesel engine and equipment makers, fuel refiners and emissions control technology manufacturers have invested billions of dollars in research in an ongoing effort to develop and deploy technologies and strategies that reduce emissions to meet the increasingly diverse and stringent clean air standards in all nations throughout the world."
IARC's decision apparently was heavily influenced by recently released studies on miners authored by the National Cancer Institute and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which have been highly criticized by industry for their lack of transparency and access to data for other researchers, fundamental flaws in methodology and design among other concerns. Most notably these studies are based largely on very old diesel engines and equipment of 20 to 50 years ago.
In its statement, IARC acknowledged the "strong interplays between standards and technology" and that regulatory action has resulted in tighter emissions standards for diesel engines which has reduced the amount of particulates and chemicals, but it was unable at this time to offer an opinion on the relative health risk of new technology diesel engines.
What does this mean for diesel technology? Given the tremendous progress in clean diesel technology over the last decade, industry leaders are evaluating the impacts of this designation at a time when diesel engines are at near zero emissions of fine particles and nitrogen oxides.
Importance of Clean Diesel Technology to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Highlighted at Global Climate and Clean Air Event in Sweden
The international importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions with the use of clean diesel technology was highlighted by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a special event hosted by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition in Stockholm, Sweden on June 3. This follows other recent international forums like the G-8 Summit and Bonn Climate Change Conference where the goal of reducing emissions is garnering attention at the highest policy levels in the U.S. and international stage.
Secretary Clinton stated that "We know we cannot solve this crisis without the active cooperation and, indeed, the leadership of the private sector, particularly oil and gas companies, makers of diesel trucks, green tech companies that can help turn methane from landfills into clean energy."
Read the full press release.
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