VW and health

[Geoff_N]

I usually put my health concerns to the back of my mind with regards to the pollution from vehicles although I hold my breath if it's bad.
Now knowing that I've been unknowingly breathing in more diesel pollution than I should have by VW cars, can I put in a compensation claim for my shortened life?

[Psamathe]

... can I put in a compensation claim for my shortened life?

Can you prove it has shortened your life ? (and that VW were responsible for that shortened life).

Ian

[Geoff_N]

I'm not after money just making the point that while diesel engine manufacturers (because of environmental law makers) produce much less CO2 they still emit too much Nitrogen dioxide than is good for any of us. A 2015 study by King’s College London concluded that air pollution caused thousands of deaths in London in 2010, specifically identifying NO2 as the cause of the majority of the deaths. "5,900 deaths were the result of nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant produced by diesel engines." It's annoying that a major manufacturer tried to bypass pollution tests and so putting our health and lives in jeapordy.

[661-Pete]

I think that plenty of other people will be making the point pretty soon, the Compensation lawyers are circling. So if you want to join the bandwagon...

Forgive me for being the old cynic, but none of this will make the environment any healthier for you or anyone else. The best option is to keep away from busy roads especially in built-up areas - if you can. That's where the highest concentrations of NOx are to be found. At least until 'something is done about it' in a real sense.

[Geoff_N]

I'm lucky to live in semi-rural Chester and most of my cycling is in rural Wales, Shropshire, etc. It seems to me a shame that most of the media storm is about the money rather than the health issues that still surround vehicle emissions. However, we need to make a stand, otherwise we'll fall.

[MikeF]

No one worries about aircraft pollution. Some beautiful sunny days here this week, but they "clouded over". However they weren't actually natural clouds at all; the sky was completely blanketed by aircraft trails. Still all the time we can create a hiatus about vehicle pollution we can ignore aircraft flying about in the jet stream. Oh but I think those parts I ordered from Rose might have travelled by plane. But no health issues here!

Strange how we can become focused on one part of the problem!

[Geoff_N]

I do! We live near Harwarden airport and everyday an experimental large slow aircraft called Beluga flies over us. Everyone marvels how slow it can fly - I sometimes think I can cycle faster than it and I'm real slow. However, I just think of all the jet fuel particulates that are invisibly precipitating over us. Another reason to hold my breath.

[Mick F]

[squeaker]

rm6ks.jpg

Er, that's particulate matter, not NOx Easily produced with a blocked air filter or knackered turbo. Very recent vehicles with On Board Diagnostics (OBD) should flag such issues (unless someone's fiddle the software....).

[David881]

can I put in a compensation claim for my shortened life?

Possibly, but you'll have to wait till you're dead

[landsurfer]

If you really believed the emission figures that a global multi national published you deserve all you get!!!
If you set impossibility high standards then people will cheat. . . Set achievable standards, high but achievable.
Give me a list of people who died from particulate poisoning . . Not urban myths, actual " cause of death". Certain newspapers are saying they can't find any ... Maybe you can ??

[Geoff_N]

It's like sugar, salt and fat - you won't find them listed on a death certificate and yet the over-consumption of them start the process of il-health that kill most of us eventually.

The problem with particulates is that they accumulate in the aveoli of our lungs. By themselves they cause little damage but synergistically with SO2 and water vapour they become the nuclei for acidic erosion - emphysemia isn't a nice way to become ill or die. Do we have to wait for particulates to be written on a death certificate to expect the levels to be less? It's more chance than design that our air in general has less SO2 and smoke with the replacement of coal gas with natural gas. But it's been environment lobbies that has done a great job cleaning up diesel and petrol car emissions. Just don't let up.

[Mick F]

rm6ks.jpg

Er, that's particulate matter, not NOx Easily produced with a blocked air filter or knackered turbo. Very recent vehicles with On Board Diagnostics (OBD) should flag such issues (unless someone's fiddle the software....).

Sorry, I was being a little facetious.

No doubt NOx is invisible, but the smell and taste of a diesel exhaust is horrible even if you can't see it.

[Paulatic]

I find the smell and taste from the catalytic converter on ANY cold car foul. I can only detect warm diesels if they are on chip oil or heating oil

[axel_knutt]

We'll soon find out how much people care about the environment when they're issued with software upgrades that b*gger up the performance of their cars. I wonder if they fiddled the emissions test to fix this?