Toxicology and Risk Analysis, 13701 Quaking Aspen Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111, USA.
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2012 Jul;63(2):225-58. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.04.005. Epub 2012 Apr 27.
Diesel engines, a special type of internal combustion engine, use heat of compression, rather than electric spark, to ignite hydrocarbon fuels injected into the combustion chamber. Diesel engines have high thermal efficiency and thus, high fuel efficiency. They are widely used in commerce prompting continuous improvement in diesel engines and fuels. Concern for health effects from exposure to diesel exhaust arose in the mid-1900s and stimulated development of emissions regulations and research to improve the technology and characterize potential health hazards. This included epidemiological, controlled human exposure, laboratory animal and mechanistic studies to evaluate potential hazards of whole diesel exhaust. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (1989) classified whole diesel exhaust as - "probably carcinogenic to humans". This classification stimulated even more stringent regulations for particulate matter that required further technological developments. These included improved engine control, improved fuel injection system, enhanced exhaust cooling, use of ultra low sulfur fuel, wall-flow high-efficiency exhaust particulate filters, exhaust catalysts, and crankcase ventilation filtration. The composition of New Technology Diesel Exhaust (NTDE) is qualitatively different and the concentrations of particulate constituents are more than 90% lower than for Traditional Diesel Exhaust (TDE). We recommend that future reviews of carcinogenic hazards of diesel exhaust evaluate NTDE separately from TDE.
柴油机是一种特殊的内燃机，它利用压缩热而不是电火花点燃喷入燃烧室的碳氢燃料。柴油机具有高热效率，因此燃油效率也很高。它们在商业中被广泛应用，促使柴油机和燃料的不断改进。20 世纪中期，人们对接触柴油机废气的健康影响表示担忧，这促使制定了排放法规和研究计划，以改进技术并确定潜在的健康危害。这包括评估整个柴油机废气潜在危害的流行病学、受控人体暴露、实验室动物和机械研究。国际癌症研究机构（1989 年）将整个柴油机废气归类为“可能对人类致癌”。这一分类促使对颗粒物采取了更严格的规定，这需要进一步的技术发展。这些发展包括改进发动机控制、改进燃油喷射系统、增强排气冷却、使用超低硫燃料、壁流式高效排气颗粒过滤器、排气催化剂和曲轴箱通风过滤。新技术柴油机废气（NTDE）的组成定性不同，颗粒成分的浓度比传统柴油机废气（TDE）低 90%以上。我们建议，今后对柴油机废气致癌危害的审查应将 NTDE 与 TDE 分开进行评估。
