The Toxicity of Fumes from Diesel Engine under Four Different Running Conditions

It has been suggested that fumes from diesel engines make an important contribution to atmospheric pollution. This is probably because they are sometimes highly irritant and sometimes very smoky. It is well known that, because of their comparatively low carbon monoxide content, these fumes arc much less lethal than those from petrol engines.
The present work was directed to ascertaining what were the main toxic constituents of diesel fumes. In order to do this, animals were exposed to the fumes, and at the same time the concentration of various constituents of the fumes was determined; pathological investigations were subsequently carried out on the exposed animals.