Airborne particulate matter can really do a number on us humans, particularly with regard to our cardiovascular systems. It seems reasonable for air pollution, then, to be a major concern when calculating the environmental and health costs of the way we do business. Diesel-powered transport has come under particularly scrutiny and particulate matter from diesel exhaust has been widely blamed for diseases such as lung cancer in humans. Perhaps, though, commercial diesel has gotten too tough of a
Diesel fumes are bad for people. But diesel power is good for a lot of heavy-duty work. So, for now, one answer to threading the needle of that little conundrum is to make diesel engines as clean as possible. To that end, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $9 million worth of grant funds from the DERA National Funding Assistance Program. If the EPA's numbers are correct, that money could be worth something like $117 million in public health benefits.
If there were ever a reason for automakers like Audi and Volkswagen to get their "clean diesel" technology – or something even cleaner, i.e., zero-emission vehicles – on the road, this is it. Researchers at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands say up to six percent of lung-cancer deaths in the US and UK could be caused by diesel exhaust. The researchers published a study in the Environmental Health Perspectives that found that people with occupational exposure to extensive di
There's more scientific research on the hazardous impacts of air pollution. Researchers at the Universirty of California, Los Angeles School of Public Health have found that living near traffic pollution during pregnancy and the first year of life might increase the likelihood of developing childhood cancer.
Europeans drive a lot of diesel-powered vehicles. This is intentional. Since diesel is inherently more efficient than gasoline, many European countries give tax advantages to diesel fuel. In response, automakers in Europe offer several small diesel vehicles with high-torque engines, offering high mileage and practicality. Now, after decades of diesel burning, the European Commission will be publishing legislative proposals to improve air quality in the second half of this year and EU officials a
As if it wasn't clear from the bouts of coughing that sometimes happen when a truck goes by, diesel fumes are not good for people. After reviewing various studies, including one from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the World Health Organization has officially linked diesel exhaust to cancer, specifically lung and bladder cancers.
Although no one ever believed that inhaling black, grit-filled smoke would do you any favors, the World Heath Organization notes that doing so is much worse than merely unkind: the WHO has officially decreed that inhaling diesel fumes can cause lung cancer and has added the fumes to its list of Group 1 Carcinogens, those known to cause cancer in humans. That puts diesel plumes in the same homicidal company as arsenic, strontium-90, neutron radiation and being a painter, and makes it worse than s
Those of us who are fortunate enough to have never suffered through cancer likely don't realize how the disease can turn some of life's simplest acts into huge hurdles. Just getting to treatment appointments can be daunting with the onset of symptoms and side effects. One cancer survivor in Austin, Texas has set up a network of exotic and classic car owners to make getting to the hospital a little bit easier and more fun at the same time.
Seeing ribbons on cars is nothing new. And we're not even talking about the gift-wrapping kind. We mean ribbons for causes, whether it's "support our troops" or "bring them home", or more often than not, in support of a cure for cancer. But while those are typically glued onto a car's trunk-lid or a truck's tailgate, Fiat and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation are taking things one step further with the 500 Pink Ribbon edition.
Hyundai Motor America has launched its Drive 4 Hope cancer awareness campaign. During the month of September, the official vehicle of Hope on Wheels, the Hyundai Tucson FCEV, will travel coast to coast for kids with cancer.
Chevrolet plans to do more with its NASCAR Camaro pace car than merely slow the field down. For the next two races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway, a Camaro doused in pink to support breast cancer research will lead the field. As if the hue weren't enough, when the safety car comes out, Chevrolet will donate $200 per lap to the American Cancer Society.
There's just no telling what sort of trouble the zany hosts of Top Gear will get into next. Recent months have seen Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond garner the ire of at least two world religions and an entire nation among other offenses. As you'd expect, the antics of the BBC trio don't look to be slowing anytime soon.
With National Childhood Cancer Awareness month underway, Hyundai Motor America has announced plans to donate $100,000 to 68 hospitals and non-profit organizations ($6.8 million total) in the form of "Hope Grants." The bulk of the money will be raised by Hyundai's U.S. sales network, now more than 800 dealers strong, who will contribute $200 from the sale of each vehicle in September.
Apparently, the range anxiety meme isn't enough. The latest anti-electric vehicle (EV) topic to make a comeback is that EVs might give you cancer (previous post). Writing in Slate, Matthew DeBord calls back the potential threat posed by electromagnetic fields (EMF) in electric cars. The title of his post? "Do Electric Cars Cause Cancer?"
According to the Associated Press, certain gravel roads in western North Dakota use erionite, a mineral that is mined in the Killdeer mountains. Erionite forms wool-like fribrous masses among rock formations and has properties similar to asbestos. Scientists suspect that, like asbestos, erionite collects in the lungs in those fibrous masses, a factor that could lead to lung cancer in people who have long-term exposure to it.
Salt water as fuel? Not exactly, but kinda. John Kanzius discovered that by focusing certain radio-frequencies on a test tube of salt water, he could ignite the contents, which would them become hot enough to melt the test tube. The process has been independently verified by Rustum Roy, a Penn State University chemist. According to Roy, what is actually happening is the hydrogen is being separated from the salt water and ignited. As long as the water is bombarded with the radio-frequency, it con
Former NASCAR champion and current commentator Benny Parsons succumbed to the ravages of lung cancer this week at the age of 65. Like so many other stock car stars of his era, he was born and raised in North Carolina, but instead of learning how to drive while running moonshine, he instead polished his skills by driving a taxi cab on the mean streets of Detroit before turning pro. Parsons went on to win ARCA championships in 1968 and 1969, and took home NASCAR's crown in 1973. Parsons' encounter
In 2002, Matt Frame's 1967 Camaro SS was stolen from outside his hotel room. Losing such a wonderful car is bad
enough, but sentimental reasons meant that the vehicle was truly irreplaceable. Purchased as a $1,000 basket case
while Matt was in high school, the restoration was a father-son project; with the elder Frame later
succumbing to cancer.