As if it wasn’t bad enough that particulate matter from diesel exhaust causes a range of respiratory problems including 15,000 premature deaths each year, new research shows that even short-term exposure to nanoparticles found in diesel fumes can affect brain function.
Nanoparticles can travel to the brain via the olfactory nerve, where they could cause an oxidative stress response in the region of the brain critical to information processing.
Researchers placed subjects in a room with either clean air or diesel fumes (similar to a busy street), and used a electro- encephalograph (EEG) to measure brain response. Subjects breathing the sooty air showed a stress response in the brain’s cortex within 30 minutes, which continued even after they left the room.
The researchers hypothesize that the effects of diesel exhaust could be caused by nanoparticles slowly penetrating the brain or affecting brain signaling. Oxidative stress has also been linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, and long-term exposure to these fumes conceivably could decrease cognitive function, they write.
This is bad news for an especially susceptible population—children—who spend significant amounts of time in diesel buses. According to the EPA, twenty-four million children ride in diesel school buses each day, amounting to about one half-hour per child. Research has also shown that the level of diesel exhaust inside school buses is substantially higher than outside. School districts and municipalities can mitigate this issue by retrofitting buses with newer emissions control devices, avoiding unnecessary idling, replacing the oldest buses, and using biodiesel to reduce particulate emissions.
Luckily for the rest of us, the US has the highest emissions standards in the world for passenger cars, and a comparatively low use of diesel vehicles. The new clean diesels on the market now do not produce the same dirty exhaust as older models.
But until our nation’s fleets get upgraded, it’s going to irritate me even more when a garbage truck rolls by.
Related Posts:
How Biodiesel Fuel-Cells Could Power The Future (And Your Car)
A Biodiesel Prius? VW To Release 69.9 MPG Diesel Hybrid
6 Ways To Find And Use Biodiesel Anywhere
Source: ES&T (Mar. 26, 2008): Your brain on diesel fumes
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When I was in 7th grade, someone gave me a “word-a-day” vocabulary building calendar. Nothing made me happier than showing off with words like “incongruous.” What would have made it more fun, however, would’ve been doing good while expanding my word use!
The UN World Food Program has come up with an ingenious game, Free Rice. You are presented with four or five definitions for a word and with each correct answer, 20 grains of rice are donated to feed the hungry around the world.
It didn’t take me long to work up to 1080 grains of rice and I had the option to set the game to remember my computer and add to the total. Some smart programmer has made the game toss out a few different levels of words to determine what level will challenge you, but not demoralize you. I noticed that when I missed two or three words in a row, the words got a little easier. A very kid-friendly way to play!
Try this as a family and end with a word that everyone can use in a sentence over the next 24 hours, or until you play your next round! Considering that 90 million people in over 80 countries survive on the World Food Program each day…this is a game you can feel really good about playing!
Gavin Hudson blogged about this back in October…green minds must play alike! How’s your vocabulary now, Gavin? I’m guessing it must be behemothic!
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