Emissions from diesel cars rigged to appear eco-friendly have caused 5,000 premature deaths per year in Europe

  • Study found diesel emissions associated with 38,000 deaths globally in 2015
  • 10,000 deaths in Europe are caused by pollution from light duty diesel vehicles
  • Almost half would have been avoided if emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel cars on the road had matched levels measured in the lab
  • NOx gases contribute to acid rain and suffocating smog
  • The countries with the heaviest burden are Italy, Germany, and France

By Phoebe Weston For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Emissions from diesel cars rigged to appear eco-friendly may be responsible for 5,000 air pollution deaths per year in Europe alone.

The numbers are in line with previous assessments of deaths due to the so-called 'Dieselgate' scandal, which erupted when carmaker Volkswagen admitted in 2015 to cheating on vehicle emissions tests.

Many other carmakers have since fallen under suspicion.

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If diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol ones, almost 4,000 of the 5,000 premature deaths would have been avoided, said the authors (stock image) 

If diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol ones, almost 4,000 of the 5,000 premature deaths would have been avoided, said the authors (stock image) 

WHAT DID THEY FIND?

The researchers from Norway, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands calculated that about 10,000 deaths in Europe per year can be attributed to small particle pollution from light duty diesel vehicles (LDDVs).

Almost half of these would have been avoided if emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel cars on the road had matched levels measured in the lab.

If diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol ones, almost 4,000 of the 5,000 premature deaths would have been avoided, said the authors. 

Composed of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, NOx gases contribute to acid rain and suffocating smog.

Through long-term exposure, they can cause breathing problems, eye irritation, loss of appetite, corroded teeth, headaches, and chronically reduced lung function.

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In May this year, a study in the journal Nature said 'excess' emissions from diesel vehicles exceeding certification limits were associated with about 38,000 'premature' deaths globally in 2015.

The new study, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, focuses on the perils for Europe.

The researchers from Norway, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands calculated that about 10,000 deaths in Europe per year can be attributed to small particle pollution from light duty diesel vehicles (LDDVs).

Almost half of these would have been avoided if emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel cars on the road had matched levels measured in the lab.

Volkswagen admitted installing illegal software devices in cars that reduced emissions only for the duration of tests.

If diesel cars emitted as little NOx as petrol ones, almost 4,000 of the 5,000 premature deaths would have been avoided, said the authors.

The countries with the heaviest burden are Italy, Germany, and France, the team added, 'resulting from their large populations and high share of diesel cars in their national fleets.'

This map shows the concentration of fine particulate matter due to excess NOx emissions from diesel cars, vans and light commercial vehicles across Europe. Blue colours indicate low concentrations, orange indicates high extra pollution

This map shows the concentration of fine particulate matter due to excess NOx emissions from diesel cars, vans and light commercial vehicles across Europe. Blue colours indicate low concentrations, orange indicates high extra pollution

Touted as less polluting, the share of diesel cars in Europe rose fast compared to petrol since the 1990s, and now comprise about half the fleet.

There are more than 100 million diesel cars in Europe today, twice as many as in the rest of the world together, said the study authors.

Diesel engines emit less planet-warming carbon dioxide than petrol ones, but significantly more NOx.

Road transport, said the study authors, contributed about 40 per cent of NOx emissions in the countries of the European Union plus Norway and Switzerland.

Composed of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, NOx gases contribute to acid rain and suffocating smog.

Through long-term exposure, they can cause breathing problems, eye irritation, loss of appetite, corroded teeth, headaches, and chronically reduced lung function.

'Excessive premature deaths will continue into the future until LDDVs with high on-road NOx emissions have been replaced,' said the study authors.

Earlier this month, tougher emissions tests came into force in Europe. 

HOW DIESEL POLLUTION CAUSES HEART ATTACKS AND STROKES

Pollution from diesel engines triggers heart attacks and strokes by entering the bloodstream and inflaming damaged blood vessels, a study shows.

Nanoparticles – many times smaller than the width of a human hair – have long been associated with heart disease, but how inhaled particles affect blood vessels has remained a mystery. 

Now, scientists have found evidence that the nanoparticles can travel from the lungs into the bloodstream and accumulate in parts of the heart or in blood vessels already suffering from inflammation – which they may aggravate further.

By inflaming arteries and veins, the particles can contribute to fatal blockages.

Scientists have long suspected that fine particles travel from the lungs into the bloodstream, but evidence has been difficult to collect. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Holland tracked inhaled gold nanoparticles, which do not cause health problems to volunteers. 

Carbon nanoparticles from diesel exhaust can’t be tracked.

In the British Heart Foundation-funded study, published in the journal ACS Nano, 14 healthy volunteers and 12 surgical patients inhaled gold nanoparticles. 

Within just 24 hours, the nanoparticles were detected in blood and urine. The particles were still detectable three months later.

In a further study, stroke patients with blockages in their carotid arteries – the major artery in the neck – about to undergo surgery were asked to breathe in a quantity of the nanoparticles.

When the fatty ‘plaques’ blocking the artery were removed, they were found to have accumulated large numbers of nanoparticles – highlighting how they end up in diseased areas.

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