The Direct Injection Engine is at the core of the problem

The ("Common rail") Direct Injection Engine is at the core of the problem.

Common rail direct fuel injection is a modern variant of direct fuel injection system for petrol and diesel engines.
On diesel engines, it features a high-pressure (over 1,000 bar/15,000 psi) fuel rail feeding individual solenoid valves, as opposed to low-pressure fuel pump feeding unit injectors (Pumpe/Düse or pump nozzles). Third-generation common rail diesels now feature piezoelectric injectors for increased precision, with fuel pressures up to 1,800 bar/26,000 psi.
In gasoline engines, it is used in gasoline direct injection engine technology.

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


Euro-Norms till now don't really solve the problem and are not safe.

EURO5 EGR calibration leads to a decrease of nuclei
particles and an increase in the particles number of the accumulation mode. Analogous
results are observed increasing engine speed and load.

http://www.aidic.it/aaas10/webpapers/48Beatrice.pdf


"This is not all that new, it's just that the industry and to some extent the EU have been trying to hide the results for years.The industry developed the common rail diesel engine in the 1990's which had the effect of cloaking the emissions by breaking down the particle size to below 1 micron , so if we can't see it , it cant be there ! Clean Diesel is a myth , the sooner we move over to electric drive , the better !"
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/07/24/study-ultrafine-particles-in-diesel-fumes-can-cause-heart-attac/

We conclude that the hazardous ("Common rail") Direct Injection technology is at the core of the problem and it doesn't look like there's a quick fix. The DPF Diesel Particle Filter might make a very bad technology look a bit better, but doesn't fix the problem – Ultrafine Diesel-Soot Particles remain a problem also with the most efficient particle filter: Because it's a filter... Yes, we strongly advocate that all vehicles with Direct Injection Technology must be called back. The Automotive Companies are insured for this kind of incidence. Regulatory measures may include the ban of modern Direct Injection Engine Vehicles within cities. As long as this doesn't happen at least DPF and DeNOx Filters must be mandatory, not only for passenger cars, but also all delivery trucks (UPS, FedEX, DHL, DPD, die Post): this also means an immediate mandatory retrofit for all old "Common Rail" vehicles produced since the mid 1990ties. But note, neurotoxic ultrafine DI-Soot-Particles remain the huge problem.

The main exposure to UFPs is through inhalation. Due to their size, UFPs are considered to be respirable particles. Contrary to the behaviour of inhaled PM₁₀and PM_2.5, ultrafine particles are deposited in the lungs,^[10] where they have the ability to penetrate tissue and undergo interstitialization, or to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream — and therefore are not easily removed from the body and may have immediate effect.^[2] Exposure to UFPs, even if components are not very toxic, may cause oxidative stress,^[11] inflammatory mediator release, and could induce lung disease and other systemic effects.^[12][13][14]

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

See also our post: 'Clean Diesel still a lie'

Diesellobby: Liars in Chief

In 2010 Henry Miller and James Enstrom seriously wrote a piece in Forbes Magazine where they completely deny all scientific evidence of adverse health effects ultrafine diesel soot is causing. So what's the deal: It must be the affiliation with the Hoover Institution, like many so called conservative and libertarian think tanks they just ignore scientific evidence. It's not just the cooked up Tea-Baggers who lack understanding, but quite often we see high profile people who just seem to live in a bubble.

Henry Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, is a fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. James Enstrom is an epidemiologist and physicist at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/08/california-diesel-regulation-pollution-opinions-columnists-henry-i-miller-james-e-enstrom_2.html

PS. As indicated in the comment below, Engstrom has taken money from Philip Morris in the past, which somehow underlines his credentials...

Norway May Ban Diesel Cars

Good News: 07.08.2012 The Institute of Transport Economics now recommends banning diesel cars in the country’s three largest cities.

Diesel Cars and Environmental Impact According to the research at Standford University, Despite lower carbon dioxide emissions, diesel cars may promote more global warming than gasoline cars Laws that favor the use of diesel, rather than gasoline, engines in cars may actually encourage global warming, according to a new study. Although diesel cars obtain 25 to 35 percent better mileage and emit less carbon dioxide than similar gasoline cars, they can emit 25 to 400 times more mass of particulate black carbon and associated organic matter ("soot") per kilometer [mile]. The warming due to soot may more than offset the cooling due to reduced carbon dioxide emissions over several decades, according to Mark Z. Jacobson, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University.

http://www.tnp.no/norway/panorama/3129-norway-may-ban-diesel-cars

Hong Kong Clean Air Network

All of the latest news and updates from the Clean Air Network concerning Hong Kong’s increasingly serious air pollution problem. Stay informed with air pollution news, commentary and events in Hong Kong and around the region. http://www.hongkongcan.org/eng/latest-articles/

"Every third kid has asthma..."

"We do see a lot of kids with asthma," she said. "The number has definitely not gone down." Pat Dobosz, a preschool teacher in the neighborhood, agreed. "Our children come in at three and four, many with severe asthma diagnoses," she said. "Last year, I had a class of 18 children and about a third had a pump or aspirator on hand at the school in case of an emergency." While a number of factors can contribute to asthma, including secondhand smoke and pollen exposures, evidence increasingly points to a potent role for diesel exhaust.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/28/garbage-trucks-diesel-children-asthma_n_1634288.html

W.H.O on Diesel Exhaust and Cancer

Note: The WHO also examined gasoline. But in comparison Gasoline Exhaust didn't show anything near the level of adverse health effects Diesel Exhaust induces.

Biophysical assessment of single cell cytotoxicity

published 2012 May 25 Biophysical assessment of single cell cytotoxicity; diesel exhaust particle-treated human aortic endothelial cells.

Exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a major source of traffic-related air pollution, has become a serious health concern due to its adverse influences on human health including cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. To elucidate the relationship between biophysical properties (cell topography, cytoskeleton organizations, and cell mechanics) and functions of endothelial cells exposed to DEPs, atomic force microscope (AFM) was applied to analyze the toxic effects of DEPs on a model cell line from human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry were also applied to further explore DEP-induced cytotoxicity in HAECs. Results revealed that DEPs could negatively impair cell viability and alter membrane nanostructures and cytoskeleton components in a dosage- and a time-dependent manner; and analyses suggested that DEPs-induced hyperpolarization in HAECs appeared in a time-dependent manner, implying DEP treatment would lead to vasodilation, which could be supported by down-regulation of cell biophysical properties (e.g., cell elasticity). These findings are consistent with the conclusion that DEP exposure triggers important biochemical and biophysical changes that would negatively impact the pathological development of cardiovascular diseases. For example, DEP intervention would be one cause of vasodilation, which will expand understanding of biophysical aspects associated with DEP cytotoxicity in HAECs.

PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e36885. Epub 2012 May 25. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0036885

Controlled human exposures to diesel exhaust

Controlled human exposures to diesel exhaust

Published 31 May 2012

...

Many extra-pulmonary health effects of diesel exhaust exposure, including systemic inflammation, pro-thrombotic changes, and cardiovascular disease, are considered consequent to pro-inflammatory events and inflammation in the lung. Future research will focus on the relative importance of diesel exhaust components, potential interactions between components and other pollutants, effects in sensitive individuals, and effects of longer or repeated exposures.

Full Free text at Swiss Medical Weekly:

http://www.smw.ch/content/smw-2012-13597/

Inflammatory Effects of Diesel Exhaust Particles in Children and Adults

Inflammatory Effects of Diesel Exhaust Particles in Children and Adults / Lin / Sanchez



http://www.docstoc.com/docs/525918/Inflammatory-Effects-of-Diesel-Exhaust-Particles-in-Children-and-Adults

PS. This is one of our top-posts and one of the best presentations to understand the very severe health problems exposure to diesel exhaust induces.

The Toxicity of Diesel Exhaust Implications for Primary Care

Diesel fuel and the products of its combustion represent one of the toxins most commonly encountered by people living in both urban and rural areas of the world. As nations become more heavily populated, there will be increasing reliance on diesel fuel to power mass transportation and commercial vehicles, as well as heavy machinery involved in construction, farming, and mining. The majority of patients who present to urban primary care clinics and emergency departments will have had significant chronic exposure to diesel exhaust because most use and/or live near busy streets and highways. Furthermore, those who operate or work or live near diesel-powered machinery will have even more toxic exposure. Primary care physicians should be aware of the acute and chronic deleterious clinical effects of diesel exhaust. In this article we review the toxicity and myriad health problems associated with diesel exhaust.

http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/1/55.short

Effect of a diesel engine ban on asthma-related morbidity in Beirut

Recap: On July 1, 2002, a ban was imposed on the use of diesel-operated vehicles on the Lebanese territory as a public health measure.

Results: The average concentration of particulate matter was 181.3 g/m3 and 97.1g/m3 before and after the ban respectively. The total numbers of ER visits for pediatric patients were 6453 and 6865 in period 1 and period 2 respectively. Of those, 313 were due to asthma in period 1 and 223 in period 2. The number of asthma-related visits was significantly reduced during period 2. When we looked at the monthly distribution of visits, asthma-related visits were significantly reduced during October, November and December of period 2 compared to the same months of period 1, while it was significantly increased during the month of June.
Discussion: This study shows that a ban on diesel engine resulted in a decrease in the air concentration of particulate matter and was associated with a reduction in the number of emergency room visits for acute asthma. This reduction was most marked during the season of viral respiratory infections. We postulate that a reduction in the concentration of air pollutants was protective against viral-induced asthma exacerbations.

http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/52847/

More Recap on Diesel Ban

Oslo mulls winter ban on diesel cars

“(Diesel engines) are the big bad wolf when it comes to air quality,” he said.

The city experimented with closing its streets to diesel emissions in February 2011, when the last digits on licence plates determined whether a vehicle could enter the city on days when the air was “acutely bad”.

This year, a number of actions are being considered: making all diesel-driven cars stay away; a ban on all personal cars burning diesel; no driving alone in a diesel-powered car and no heavy transport through the city.

http://www.thelocal.no/page/view/diesel-cars-set-to-idle-in-winter