What to do with killer diesel?

By RHONDA NEBLETT
| Thu, July 12, 2012 - 12:00 AM

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THE World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that diesel exhaust definitely causes lung cancer. When we think of all the people we know who have cancer, or who sadly are no longer with us, it makes us want to do something to stop it from happening to others – ourselves included.

But what can we do right now? Not much. Short of wearing masks, there is nothing beneficial we can do to prevent us from getting cancer from diesel exhaust.

We cannot stop people from buying diesel-fuelled vehicles and driving them to our workplaces, or near our homes. In the past, trucks were only used commercially, but today they are the vehicles of choice for families.

Their drivers are killing themselves with the diesel exhaust and killing us too in the process.

What we can do is desist from purchasing pre-owned, diesel-fuelled vehicles. Also we can limit the time we spend in traffic during rush hours (by choosing to be on the roads either earlier or later).

People who exercise on evenings amidst the traffic are especially vulnerable as they inhale greater amounts of dirty fuel fumes when jogging. You can see there really is not much we can do to protect ourselves; so that leads us to the other question: what can the Government do?

It can do plenty. What legislation did it enact when it was found that second-hand cigarette smoke was killing others? A ban on smoking in public places.

To do nothing means having to continue burying our family members. Knowing what causes lung and bladder cancer does not help if nothing is done to protect people who are just waiting to succumb.