Air pollution doesn't get the attention it deserves. Worldwide, it kills more people than malaria and AIDS combined, and the World Health Organization (WHO) now puts it in the same category as tobacco smoke, UV radiation and plutonium. One significant source of air pollution is burning diesel fuel, especially in older rigs that don't benefit from the most recent pollution control technology.

 

It's a big problem because another study by the WHO showed that diesel pollution can cause lung cancer. Dr Christopher Portier, Chairman of the IARC working Group, said: “The scientific evidence was compelling and the Working Group’s conclusion was unanimous: diesel engine exhaust causes lung cancer in humans. Given the additional health impacts from diesel particulates, exposure to this mixture of chemicals should be reduced worldwide.”

 

On top of all this, you can add a new study that concludes that "an estimated 6% of lung cancer deaths in the United States and the United Kingdom – 11,000 deaths per year – may be due to diesel exhaust."

 

Most at risk are truckers and miners who have high levels of exposure.

 

While a lot more lung cancer cases are associated with these occupational exposures, those who live in urban areas, especially near highways, are also more at risk than average because of the environmental exposure:

 

In addition, people in urban areas face a lifetime risk of lung cancer that is 10 times higher than the acceptable risk used in U.S. health standards, according to the study. An estimated 21 per 10,000 people exposed to the amount of diesel exhaust commonly found near U.S. highways would be at risk of dying of lung cancer over their lifetime. That compares to the risk of one death per 100,000 people that is used to set air-quality standards.