FBIS4-45714 "jpten006__l94041"
JPRS-TEN-94-006-L JPRS Environmental Issues 27 March 1994
WEST EUROPE UNITED KINGDOM

Diesel Fumes Said To Kill 3,000 a Year

Diesel Fumes Said To Kill 3,000 a Year 94WN0255A London THE SUNDAY TIMES in English 27 Mar 94 p 3 94WN0255A London THE SUNDAY TIMES English CSO [Article by Sean Ryan, environment correspondent: "Diesel `Kills 3,000 a Year'"] [Text] The government's most senior adviser on air pollution in cities will trigger an intense debate over the safety of diesel vehicles tomorrow by claiming that their exhausts kill 3,000 people a year, writes Sean Ryan, Environment Correspondent. Professor Roy Harrison, chairman of a panel of experts advising ministers on urban air quality, will warn that minute particles given off when diesel fuel is burned may be causing heart and lung failure, strokes and cancer. Harrison accused diesel manufacturers yesterday of "peddling misinformation" about their vehicles, which have soared in popularity after being marketed as environmentally friendly. More than 340,000 diesel cars were sold last year. "Anyone who is concerned about air quality should not buy diesel cars," said Harrison. His claims were condemned by motor industry executives as "scientifically dangerous". But Harrison believes he has evidence to justify tighter exhaust standards and tax changes to discourage diesel sales. Harrison, professor of environmental health at Birmingham University, calculated an annual death toll following American research into the dangers of PM 10s -- "particulate matter" 10 thousandths of a millimetre in diameter. Diesel vehicles are thought to produce one-third of the particles circulating in cities, and their exhaust is classified as a probable carcinogen. A study published by the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE analysed the deaths of 8,111 adults in six American cities and found "statistically significant and robust" associations with air pollution. The report concluded that the death rate in the most polluted city was 26 percent higher than in the least polluted. The strongest link was PM 10s. Harrison's concerns are shared by medical experts at the Department of the Environment, whose ministers are becoming increasingly critical of cars in cities. The government is expected to announce cuts of £1 billion in Britain's road-building programme this week. But motor manufacturers claimed Harrison's calculations were misleading. Lucas, Britain's sole manufacturer of diesel injection systems, said that while diesel exhaust probably caused cancer, the risk was "vanishingly small". The makers of diesel cars say they are less damaging to the environment than petrol models because they emit lower levels of several polluting gases and contain less benzene, a known carcinogen linked with leukaemia. Harrison, who disputes most of the manufacturers' claims, says any technological improvements could be cancelled out by higher sales of diesel cars. COPYRIGHT: TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, 1994