At least that is what research shows of the World Health Organization (WHO). In one of its latest reports, the WHO establishes a connection distinct from the consumption of processed meats (e.g. sausages, hamburgers, and sausages with industrial processing, which is not the same as acquiring a piece of meat and transform it into burgers at home) and the risk of developing more than a dozen different cancers. Of the 800 different studies in which have found that connection, WHO ensures that consuming a serving of 50 grams a day increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%. That’s not all, the consumption of these processed meats could be responsible for 50,000 deaths per year cancer throughout the world (see report of the WHO). But, what are the risks that we face by the consumption of diesel?
The number of deaths that occur each year from cancers related to the consumption of processed meats is much lower to that estimated by the emissions of the diesel.
The diesel fuel is responsible for some of the pollutants more dangerous to the health. And when we talk about diesel, we’ve not only look at the one used for our passenger cars – that already is guilty of an important part of the pollution of our cities – but also used by industrial vehicles, industry, and heating systems of homes and businesses.
Among the agents more dangerous, derived from the combustion of diesel, the famous NOx in the case of the TDI Volkswagen and the particles suspended in the air, which are especially dangerous and have been associated with different cases of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, including lung cancer. Therefore, both the NOx emissions, such as particulate matter, have been the object of the struggle that authorities (with emission regulations) and manufacturers (with new systems anti-pollution) have been waged in recent years to greatly reduce their influence (see guide to air quality WHO).
According to the WHO, to 200,000 people die each year in the world due to cancers arising from air pollution. That is why it is so important to continue advocating for further improvement of the technology of the combustion engines, and to limit the emissions generated by these engines, whether in traffic, in industry, or in the boilers of the home.
In any case, no processed meats, or the diesel, they are the biggest “killers” with which we live daily. The WHO estimated that the number of deaths due to cancers related to tobacco around the world is 1 million people a year. The alcohol isn’t too far off from those figures, 600,000 deaths per year (see monograph WHO).