Diesel fumes cause cancer: WHO agency

13 Jun 2012, 11:01 am   -   Source: AAP
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(AAP)

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Health officials say diesel exhaust causes cancer, a ruling that could make exhaust fumes as important a public health threat as second-hand smoke.

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Diesel exhaust causes cancer, the World Health Organisation's cancer agency has declared, a ruling it says could make it as important a public health threat as second-hand smoke.

The risk of developing cancer from diesel fumes is small but because so many people are exposed experts say raising the status of diesel exhaust to carcinogen from "probable carcinogen" is an important shift.

The director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Kurt Straif, says it's in the same order of magnitude as passive smoking, and could push countries to clean up exhaust fumes from diesel engines.

Straif says there could be many cases of lung cancer connected to the contaminant, affecting groups including pedestrians, ship passengers and crew, railroad workers, truck drivers, mechanics, miners and people operating heavy machinery.

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Your Comments

Shhhhh!

Cash Cow - from , 11 months ago

Don't tell anyone or we'll have to stop discriminating against smokers!

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