[BMWrules7]

The WHO says diesel exhaust causes lung cancer.

Does anyone know if this finding is mitigated as it relates to the exhaust of diesel 5 and 7 series?

The 5 and 7 series Diesel engines employ a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a liquid reducing agent known as diesel exhaust fluid.

Can anyone tell me if these two technologies, as BMW designed into its Diesel engines, can reduce the chance of getting lung cancer from that of standard Diesel engines?

Or, are drivers of BMW Diesel engines doomed to get lung cancer even if one does not smoke.

[NewM3driver]

If you google the subject you can find many articles discussing diesel exhaust and lung cancer. The majority of them say that you would need to be inhaling enormous amounts of the exhaust on a regular basis to have any concern at all. Railroad workers, miners, and commercial truckers could be folks that may be at risk.

If you think about it the oil that so many people burn in their furnace to heat the house all winter is the very same thing as diesel fuel you burn in your car. Unless you are sitting on top of your chimney it isn't a concern. If you inhaled the smoke from a wood fire place or camp fire non stop I'm sure you would find that could increase the risk of certain types of cancer.

I honestly don't think a diesel car, properly exhausted is cause for concern.

[BMWrules7]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

If you google the subject you can find many articles discussing diesel exhaust and lung cancer. The majority of them say that you would need to be inhaling enormous amounts of the exhaust on a regular basis to have any concern at all. Railroad workers, miners, and commercial truckers could be folks that may be at risk.

If you think about it the oil that so many people burn in their furnace to heat the house all winter is the very same thing as diesel fuel you burn in your car. Unless you are sitting on top of your chimney it isn't a concern. If you inhaled the smoke from a wood fire place or camp fire non stop I'm sure you would find that could increase the risk of certain types of cancer.

I honestly don't think a diesel car, properly exhausted is cause for concern.

It was Google that led me to post. It seems there is an ongoing dispute between the environmentalists and diesel groups on this issue.

I just wondered if anyone familiar with the chemistry and particulate filter could provide some feedback.

It turns out most of the data gathered for the WHO cancer determination was based on older diesel systems without urea or filters.

So, this is one if the rare cases where Google is unhelpful.

[SonicEndeavor]

So far, studies say that the new "clean diesels" do not have the cancer risk of the older engines.
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/29/c...r-risks-study/

https://www.dmv.com/blog/no-connecti...-cancer-521420

If you google Clean Diesel cancer you'll find additional resources

[Noggie]

I doubt that a diesel owner has a larger chance of getting lung cancer that any other driver. after all, your exhaust is not entering your car.

Diesel does emit particles into the air that can cause respiratory issues if over exposed over time.

Easy way to tell that modern diesels, like BMW's are a lot cleaner is.
1. no thick black smoke when accelerating.
2. no black soot buildup on the rear quarter of the car around the exhaust pipe.

Are you as a diesel owner more exposed to these particles than others? I'd say no. the particles are distributed into the air, and everyone gets the same amount when in the same location, whether driving a gasoline car, motorcycle, bicycle or walking.

Ultimately its the air you breathe that may cause you respiratory deceases i.e asthma, COPD, higher risk of pneumonia and in extreme cases lung cancer. If you spend all your time in a congested city area, you may be at a higher risk than someone living in the countryside.

If there is a link between air pollution and lung cancer, China will provide us the answer soon, China has billions of people living in areas with extremely high air pollution, so if they get a huge increase in lung cancer in the next decade it should be confirmed.

You in the US can check your air pollution here.

http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi

There is another site that I use when I'm in Korea that gives you world wide readings.
http://aqicn.org/?city=Korea/Gyeongn...e=xlarge&wamap

[jakartakid]

I recently read that the French will be banning diesel cars from entering Paris by 2015. Where next? London? I wouldn't be surprised. Here in the UK the previous government have admitted it was a mistake promoting cars with low CO2 as then now say it's the stuff coming out of Diesel engines which is bad. We might all be trying to get rid of our diesels in a few years time.

[NewM3driver]

Originally Posted by jakartakid

I recently read that the French will be banning diesel cars from entering Paris by 2015. Where next? London? I wouldn't be surprised. Here in the UK the previous government have admitted it was a mistake promoting cars with low CO2 as then now say it's the stuff coming out of Diesel engines which is bad. We might all be trying to get rid of our diesels in a few years time.

I got rid of mine in just a few month's time! Nothing to do with long cancer though... you give up a LOT of refinement with the oil burner. Definitely not for me.

[Grover432]

I've been reading the expert opinions above and here is my take:

1. We don't know all of the harmful effects of diesel exhaust, but what do know is it is not good for your health;
2. We know that inhaling any exhaust (carbon monoxide, etc.) is bad for you;
3. We know the environmentalists would like everyone to walk.

I suggest that there is no greater risk of cancer driving a diesel car vs driving a gas powered car. Forget China which is a different case - the air in Beijing is so thick with smog from industrial and automotive sources, everyone is going to get very sick despite all of the people riding their bicycles with those white paper masks to protect them from I don't know what (LMFAO).

In Europe people have been driving diesels for decades. Has anyone found any study showing a higher incidence of lung cancer in Europe over the last several decades?

For what its worth, if you don't have an exhaust leak and you don't sit in an enclosed space with your engine running (regularly) what could be the harm in driving a diesel car?

[jakartakid]

Originally Posted by NewM3driver

I got rid of mine in just a few month's time! Nothing to do with long cancer though... you give up a LOT of refinement with the oil burner. Definitely not for me.

I think my next Beemer will be petrol as well, my last two were 6 cyl 3L petrol powered. I went for diesel on economy grounds and whilst it is very quiet most of the time the rattle under acceleration is a high price to pay for good mpg.

[493263]

Of course diesel causes cancer since it chucks out a lot of the same harmful shit gasoline engines do, even more. Compare it to Europe or the UK to see how it stacks up against gasoline.

Honestly, there's a lot of other things to worry about in the US.