The adverse health effects of car
exhaust are pervasive and difficult to
measure. Many people are exposed to
exhaust emissions every day in
different ways like vehicles running on
diesel and petrol.

How are people exposed to
exhausts?

Breathing in fumes from car exhaust;
and this could increase the risk of a
heart attack for those already battling
a heart disease. A heart attack occurs
when the flow of oxygenated blood to
a section of the heart’s muscles has
been blocked. Inhaling fumes in heavy
amounts could trigger a heart attack,
according to a team of researchers
from London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Sciences.

Where are people exposed to
exhausts?

1. At work : People with the some of
the highest exposures at work include
truck drivers, heavy machinery
operators, railroad and dock workers,
garage workers and mechanics. Some
farm workers may also spend a lot of
time around diesel exhausts.
2. While traveling: Exposure to fuel
exhaust may be higher when in a
vehicle, especially when traveling on
roads with heavier truck or bus traffic.
Commuting to and from work is a
potential source of fuel exhaust
exposure for many people. One
particular area of concern is children’s
exposures to fuel exhaust and other
pollutants while riding in school buses,
as the buses themselves typically run
on diesel fuel.
3. Where they live and play: People
can also be exposed to fuel exhaust in
areas where they live and play,
although this is typically at lower levels
than in the workplace. Exposures are
highest where traffic is heaviest such
as along major highways and cities.
How are exhaust fumes emitted?
Exhaust gas is emitted as a result of
the combustion of fuels such natural
gas, petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal.
According to the type of engine, it is
discharged into the atmosphere
through an exhaust pipe. The largest
part of most combustion gas is
nitrogen,water vapour and carbon
dioxide. A relatively small part of
combustion gas is composed of
undesirable, toxic substances such as
carbon monoxide from incomplete
combustion.

Diseases likely to be caused through the inhalation of car exhaust fume are:

1.Cancer: Vehicles emit numerous
carcinogenic chemicals. Diesel contains
benzene, formaldehyde, and 1,3-
butadiene — all these are well
recognized carcinogens. It was
observed that vehicle emissions
account for as many as half of all
cancers attributed to outdoor air
pollution.
2. Cardiovascular diseases: Death and
hospital admissions for myocardial
infarction, congestive cardiac failure
and cardiac arrhythmia increase with
increase in the concentrations of
particulate and gaseous pollutants. As
concentrations of airborne particles
increase, those with cardiovascular
disease may experience increasing
severity of symptoms, rates of
hospitalization, and mortality.
3. Asthma attack: Diesel exhaust is
especially dangerous, containing nearly
40 hazardous pollutants. The mixture
contains carbon particles that are
exceptionally small in size, less than
one micron. These fine particles may
be deeply inhaled into the lung and
carry with them a collection of
attached hazardous compounds. Diesel
emissions increase the severity and
duration of asthma attacks.

What can be done to minimize
exposure to exhaust fumes?

Since components of vehicle exhaust
fumes are carcinogenic, exposures to
both diesel and gasoline exhaust
constitute a large proportion of our
exposures and must be minimized.
*Cars and trucks should not run
unnecessarily idle and people should
turn off their motors when they are
not in their vehicles and children
should never be allowed to pump gas.
*Exhaust exposure can also be avoided
by decreasing the amount of time that
is spent where machines are running.
*People should not exercise along
busy streets or highways.
*You can also reduce exhaust
exposure by closing your car windows
while driving in moderate and heavy
traffic.

Culled from The Observer Reports
http://observerreports.com/2013/10/
vehicle-exhaust-fumes-and-our-
health/

Makes sense

This is rapidly becoming a serious issue in Nigeria due to the reckless abandon of automobiles, motor bikes, keke napeps, electric generators etc emitting toxic fumes all over the place. Recently in Lagos, several members of a church choir having a night vigil all suffocated and died of carbon monoxide poisoning inside the church while running the electric generator inside the church because it was raining outside.

Here is an excerpt with more convincing detail. Happy reading.



Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO). Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect. Carbon monoxide is a product of incomplete combustion of organic matter due to insufficient oxygen supply to enable complete oxidation to carbon dioxide (CO2). It is often produced in domestic or industrial settings by older motor vehicles and other gasoline-powered tools, heaters, and cooking equipment. Exposures at 100 ppm or greater can be dangerous to human health.

Symptoms of mild acute poisoning include lightheadedness, confusion, headaches, vertigo, and flu-like effects; larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system and heart, and even death. Following acute poisoning, long-term sequelae often occur. Carbon monoxide can also have severe effects on the fetus of a pregnant woman. Chronic exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can lead to depression, confusion, and memory loss. Carbon monoxide mainly causes adverse effects in humans by combining with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (HbCO) in the blood. This prevents hemoglobin from releasing oxygen in tissues, effectively reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, leading to hypoxia. Additionally, myoglobin and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase are thought to be adversely affected. Carboxyhemoglobin can revert to hemoglobin, but the recovery takes time because the HbCO complex is fairly stable.

Treatment of poisoning largely consists of administering 100% oxygen or providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy, although the optimum treatment remains controversial. Oxygen works as an antidote as it increases the removal of carbon monoxide from hemoglobin, in turn providing the body with normal levels of oxygen. The prevention of poisoning is a significant public health issue. Domestic carbon monoxide poisoning can be prevented by early detection with the use of household carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries. Historically, it was also commonly used as a method to commit suicide, usually by deliberately inhaling the exhaust fumes of a running car engine. Modern automobiles, even with electronically-controlled combustion and catalytic converters, can still produce levels of carbon monoxide which will kill if enclosed within a garage or if the tailpipe is obstructed (for example, by snow) and exhaust gas cannot escape normally. Carbon monoxide poisoning has also been implicated as the cause of apparent haunted houses; symptoms such as delirium and hallucinations have led people suffering poisoning to think they have seen ghosts or to believe their house is haunted.

Thanks Haywhy28 for posting this topic.

For more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning


Car-Doctor.

Serious!

No tell us

NICE one

And some one posted that is just food..

since when I was born up till now the kinda smoke n exhaust id have inhaled alone can fill up two NNPC trailer tankers buh here am I today hale n healthy. the only sickness that happened to me twice this year was malaria n just two days they were gone n forgotten with just #700 lumartem n #50 paracetamol

Everyone has one or two testimonies to share abou God's faithfulness over the months. I think our God deserves some minutes of praises from his people

so before you leave home today dont forget to say "God thank you for your faithfulness"

#Happy_new_month everyone

Yes it kills.

It killed a married woman and her lover inside their car with the AC and engine running at Ogba few days back.

News.

Informative!