Electronic Letters to:
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Electronic letters published:
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NOx and diesel exposure
- Per Nafstad, Frederick Gram (22 January 2004)
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NOx exposure probably diesel exposure
- Michael J Collins (11 December 2003)
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Per Nafstad, Chief Medical Officer Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Frederick Gram
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per.nafstad{at}fhi.no Per Nafstad, et al.
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Dear Editor Michal J Collins' letter of 11th December 2003[1] raises an interesting question on the correlations between NOX and diesel exhaust exposure. I’m afraid that we based on our data cannot add more to this discussion, as we were not able to include measurements of diesel exhaust or of particles in general, simply because they were never made. During the 25 years the sources of particles in Oslo has changed a lot. In the beginning of the 70 -ies there was still some use of heavy oil and solid fuels in Oslo, and traffic was responsible for 23 % of the particle emissions. Today the particle emissions are reduced by a factor of 2, and traffic stands for about 60 %. As expressed in the paper, our view is that NOX most likely is an indicator of air pollution exposure and that a high correlation to particles (including diesel exhaust particles) is likely. We would recommend A. Seaton and M. Dennekamp’s paper in the December number of Thorax 2003, which we think address these issues in detail.[2] References 1. Collins MJ, NOx exposure probably diesel exposure [electronic response to Nafstad et al. Lung cancer and air pollution: a 27 year follow up of 16 209 Norwegian men] http://thorax.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/58/12/1071#126 2. Seaton A, Dennekamp M. The epidemiological associations between illness and nitrogen dioxide may be the consequence of confounding by particle numbers. Thorax 2003:53;1012-1015 |
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Michael J Collins, Economist Writer none
Send letter to journal:
collins7007{at}sbcglobal.net Michael J Collins
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Dear Editor Just a casual letter from a layman here, but it would seem clear that the NOx higher levels correlating with higher lung cancer would be as a result simply of higher exposure to diesel exhaust. Looking on the Web I see worker exposure studies to older diesels show higher lung cancer rates as well. When I was in Norway visiting my wife's relatives in 1992 I was stunned by the unhealthy stench of diesel even in Bergen in places. The US, which has its own air pollution problems of course, managed through sheer luck to avoid having many diesel autos due to cheap gas and some poorly designed diesel engines which soured the US auto buyers on diesels. Perhaps Norway should tax diesel fuel at higher rate than gasoline rather than a lower rate as it does now. I would guess the health cost and human suffering from the air pollution per mile driven is higher with diesel but the fuels are currently taxed per liter used. Someday I hope to sit by the fountain in beautiful Bergen and smell only the flowers and the fountain, not diesel exhaust. |
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