Diesel fumes are putting UK workers at risk

Diesel exhaust fumes on Britain’s streets are putting workers at risk of serious and potentially deadly health conditions, the union GMB has warned.

The union’s analysis of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels – a key diesel exhaust component – is based on data from 110 monitoring stations across the UK for 2015. GMB points to 18 locations where levels exceeded the European Union’s 40 micrograms per cubic metre recommended limit.

The union says these excessive levels present a health risk to members working on the roadside, noting “street cleaners, refuse workers, parking enforcement staff, utility workers, police community support workers and others are particularly exposed to such pollutants.” Studies have also shown professional drivers can also be at risk, as gaseous vehicle pollutants can become concentrated in their cabs.

As well as causing and exacerbating existing respiratory diseases and being linked to heart problems, exposure to diesel exhaust  is an established cause of cancer in humans, with a recent study suggesting it could account for 5 per cent of lung cancer deaths in the UK.

 

 

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