Vehicle health concerns
The obvious vehicle health concerns are that of the emissions produced by the millions of autos and trucks on the road. Not only to these emissions have direct effects on the lungs and airways of people, but there appears to be a direct link between vehicle emissions and global warming.
Although government regulations and increased technology have combined to produce lower emission rates, particularly in the newer vehicles, some of the damage done is irreversible, particularly as it relates to the warming of the earth’s average temperature. The guilty components of automobile emissions are the increased rate of carbon from the carbon based fuel molecules combining with the oxygen atoms in the atmosphere. .
Two types of emissions are cause for vehicle health concerns: The tailpipe emissions and the evaporative emissions. Tailpipe emissions are what most people consider when they think of automobile emissions. They consist of hydrocarbons; nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The hydrocarbons are the result of incomplete burning of the fuel in the engine which is released through the tailpipe into the atmosphere. Hydrocarbon emissions are a primary cause of smog and have been shown to be a contributory factor in liver disease and cancer.
Nitrous oxide is the result of nitrogen combining with oxygen under high temperatures, leading to acid rain as well as smog. Carbon monoxide is also a result of incomplete burning of the fuel. It interferes with the blood’s ability to carry oxygen and can be lethal particularly to those with heart disease, or in a confined space. Carbon dioxide is helpful to plants and it occurs naturally in the atmosphere. Its role in the global warming controversy has not yet been decided.
The second type of emission leading to vehicle health concerns is evaporative emissions. This occurs when highly volatile gasoline fumes rise from hot engines, from improper gas tank fills or spills. These fumes contain a high level of the hydrocarbons and contribute heavily to urban smog.
It has been calculated that increasing the fuel mileage to 50 miles per gallon on 2 billion cars would have a significant impact on the emission level and on the rate of global warming.
The other vehicle health concerns are more indirect. Accidents are the 4th leading cause of death among males in this country, and most of these are vehicular accidents. Secondly, a significant portion of traffic accidents are alcohol or drug related. While it is not the vehicle that kills people, it is usually operator error, it is still a major health concern when thousands of people are killed each year while riding in or operating a vehicle.
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