Governments will have to begin sourcing ways of cutting diesel usage because the petroleum product can cause lung cancer, scientists have said.
Folowing a period of research study, an affiliate of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has said that Diesel which is used by vehicles and machines, can cause lung cancer.
The IARC said people exposed to diesel fumes risk lung cancer.
Their report states:“After a week-long meeting of international experts, the IARC has classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer,” the report said, while also labelling the gasoline (petrol) exhaust as possible carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).
Chairman of the IARC Working Group Dr Christopher Portier, said: That “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.”
“For diesel engines, this requires changes in the fuel such as marked decreases in sulphur content, changes in engine design to burn diesel fuel more efficiently and reductions in emissions through exhaust control technology.”
The IARC said governments and other decision-makers have a valuable evidence-base on which to consider environmental standards for diesel exhaust emissions and to continue to work with the engine and fuel manufacturers towards those goals.
However, the group is concerned that implementing needed policies and regulations will take many years “particularly in less developed countries, where regulatory measures are currently also less stringent.”
Director, IARC, Dr Christopher Wild, said : “The conclusion sends a strong signal that public health action is warranted. This emphasis is needed globally, including among the more vulnerable populations in developing countries where new technology and protective measures may otherwise take many years to be adopted.”
Reacting, the Executive Director of Environmental Law Research Institute, Prof Lanre Fagbohun, advised the government to take emissions from diesel vehicles seriously, because developing nations can barely provide comprehensive healthcare for their citizens.
“I do not expect that a state like Lagos, which is known for proactive interventions, will fold its arms in the face of this report,” he said in an interview with The Nation.
“Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority (LAMATA), Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), the Ministries of Transport and Environment have to work together more effectively to achieve safe vehicular emission. By now, we should be getting nearer to being able to measure vehicular emission in Lagos State.”