From Pelham Hawker, Johnson Matthey Catalytic Systems Division
It is gratifying to read that the Federal Institute of Occupational ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ and Safety
in Berlin found that diesel fumes caused fewer miners to develop cancer than expected
(This Week, 14 March, p 7), but we should not forget that
the key issue for diesel exhaust is the link between particulates and urban
mortality.
This is not a long-term effect. The increased death rate with increased
levels of PM10 is thought to be caused by a biochemical response—triggered
by the inhalation of large numbers of ultrafine particles, rather than their
chemical composition. We cannot afford to be complacent about diesel exhaust
pollution.
Royston, Hertfordshire
