Abstract
The environmental problems in India are growing rapidly. The increasing economic development and a rapidly growing population that has taken the country from 300 million people in 1947 to more than one billion people today, is putting a strain on the environment, infrastructure, and the country’s natural resources. Industrial pollution, soil erosion, deforestation, rapid industrialization, urbanization, and land degradation are all worsening problems. Over-exploitation of the country's resources, be it land or water, and the industrialization process, has resulted in environmental degradation of resources. Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing humanity and other life forms on our planet today. The rapid growth in motor vehicle activity and rapid industrialization is contributing to high levels of urban air pollution. The population is mainly exposed to high air pollution concentrations; where motor vehicle emissions constitute the main source of fine and ultrafine particles, having a serious impact on our urban air quality and public health.Studies showed that the composition of atmospheric particulate matter has a great impact on human health. In this study, we have reviewed the toxicity of vehicle exhaust, especially diesel exhaust nanoparticles and the associated health problems. Key words: Pollution, diesel exhaust, toxicity, air pollutants, nanoparticles.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about two million people die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution (Table 1), while many more suffer from breathing ailments, heart disease, lung infections and even cancer
The increasing economic development and a rapidly growing population that has taken the country from 300 million people in 1947 to more than one billion people today, is putting a strain on the environment, infrastructure, and the country’s natural resources
The population is mainly exposed to high air pollution concentrations; where motor vehicle emissions constitute the main source of fine and ultrafine particles, having a serious impact on our urban air quality and public health
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about two million people die prematurely every year as a result of air pollution (Table 1), while many more suffer from breathing ailments, heart disease, lung infections and even cancer. About 60% of nanoparticles in the environment are due to road transport, and a further 27% come from other combustion processes such as power stations It is the air-borne nanoparticles that are of most concern to human health as it has been shown that increase in the levels of ultra-fine particulates in the air which are less than 10 micrometre in diameter can be considered as being responsible for the increased respiratory and cardiac diseases, and there is increasing evidence that nanoparticles within this fraction can penetrate the lung, causing inflammation and can spread to other organs within the body (http://www.nanoforum.org).
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