TOXICOLOGY OF DIESEL EMISSIONS

The almost unending complexity of diesel emissions with respect to their chemical constituents has been increasingly revealed, as evermore sensitive and specific procedures have been used for their analysis and identification. However, the character and amount of the complex exhaust mixture is drastically altered by changes in power output, motor speed, engine design and load, and fuel additives. Lack of proper engine maintenance further modifies the nature and amount of emissions. So, despite analytic advances, chemical characterization of diesel emissions is still far more complete, either as to type or amount of the various compounds. Analytic investigators often fail to agree on some classifications of emission components or fail to analyze for the same constituents, leaving comparison gaps. Those uncertainties and unknowns, coupled with potential toxicologic interactions among the exhaust constiuents, make it extremely difficult to make a definitive toxicologic evaluation, or to suggest anything but highly tentative air standards.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at a meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan. 30-31, 1973.
• Corporate Authors:

  Bureau of Mines

  Mining and Safety Research Center, 4800 Forbes Avenue
  Pittsburgh, PA  United States  15213
• Authors:
  • Stokinger, H E
• Publication Date: 1975

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 147-158

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Diesel engine exhaust gases; Exhaust gases; Measurement; Measuring instruments; Physiological aspects; Poisons; Tests
• Old TRIS Terms: Air quality measurements; Physiological factors
• Subject Areas: Environment; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00127615
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Engineering Index
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. 8666 Inf. Circ.
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 16 1975 12:00AM