Preliminary Evaluation of Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust Particles with Future Automobile and Fuel Technologies - JCAP Health Effects Working Group Report -

Abstract

Since health effects of automobile exhaust emissions, especially of diesel exhaust particles (DEP) has been greatly concerned, Health Effects Working Group was established in Japan Clean Air Program (JCAP) for taking an approach to health effects study on exhaust emission improvement to be made through measures for automobile exhaust emission reduction and fuel property improvement. First of all, we have gathered scientific information on health effects of exhaust emissions, mainly of DEP and so on, which were published till that time, have reviewed the information with specialists in Japan, and have established a database to be used in various areas of study. Second, based on the above results, basic evaluation of exhaust emissions from diesel vehicles, for which a strong concern about health effects was shown, has been carried out in cooperation with studies on future automobile and fuel technologies for diesel engines/vehicles carried out by other working groups of JCAP. We have carried out Ames test on DEP to determine if an introduction of future automobile and fuel technologies into diesel engines/vehicles makes any improvement in health effects. This Ames test has been carried out on various DEP emissions from the combinations of engine/vehicles and fuels: combinations of current fuels and current engines/vehicles, combinations of future fuels such as low sulfur content diesel fuel and engines/vehicles incorporating future technologies such as diesel particulate filter (DPF). As a result of the Ames test, the introduction of future automobile and fuel technologies has shown an improvement in mutagenicity of soluble organic fraction (SOF) of DEP emissions in unit SOF volume by comparison with the present level. DEP emission per unit work (engine) or per unit mileage (vehicle) has been also reduced. Therefore, mutagenicity has been considered to further improve due to the introduction of future automobile and fuel technologies studied by JCAP.