Diesel fumes cause lung cancer says WHO

Diesel fumes cause lung cancer said the World Health Organization (WHO) Wednesday after a review of several studies.

It is the first time the organization has declared that diesel is carcinogenic but it stopped short of declaring what level of exposure increased the risk of certain kinds of cancer.

The review looked at studies that included diesel's impact on miners, railway workers and truck drivers but warned that exposure for any person could be a risk.

“It’s on the same order of magnitude as passive smoking,” said Kurt Straif, director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a WHO body, that looks at cancer risks, reported Associated Press.

“This could be another big push for countries to clean up exhaust from diesel engines.”

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The IARC said that diesel fumes put people at a particular risk for bladder cancer, reported US News and World Report.

The agency had previously labelled diesel as "probably" cancerous.

Other carcinogenic items on the WHO's list include wood chippings, sunlight and plutonium, said the BBC.

Businessweek reported that the diesel industry said the study likely did not take into consideration advances in technology over the last decade.

Gasoline engine fumes remain "possibly carcogenic" according to the WHO.