http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Additives-in-Diesel-Fuels-Cause-Liver-Damage-111811.aspx
A new study conducted at Marshall University linked the nanoparticles of cerium oxide used in diesel fuels and damage to the liver. Cerium oxide is used in diesel fuels to increase the efficiency of the automobile's engine. It is also used as glass mirror polish, ophthalmic lens and television tube coating, and in many other products that we come into contact with in our daily lives. As the entire world goes about their daily lives with these product surrounding them at every corner, should we not be more worried about what we're putting into the production lines?
Diesel fuels, while not used by all automobiles, are still used by a fair amount of vehicles. As developed and developing countries try to move towards environmentally friendly fuels, diesel and biodiesels continue to look like a better options, in terms of vehicular fuel. Diesel-powered vehicles have better fuel economies, and diesel produces less greenhouse gases, slowing down the rate of global warming. The more countries use diesel however, the more of the cerium oxide is released into the air due to combustion. As we know, air pollutants do not stay in one place. Wind patterns will move these all over the earth, creating problems for those not even in industrialized or modernized areas of the world.
There really are no international laws on air pollution at the moment. If they were to be created, it would take a lot of work to reinforce the legislation simply because of the properties of air and wind. It's too difficult to track down exactly what the source of the pollution is, leaving corporations and individuals to be responsible for their own output, a highly idealistic proposal. We, as a international community, need to find a way to either phase out such harmful chemicals from the products we use, or find a way to regulate their use to diminish the harmful effects they have on everyone.
The world has long known of the negative effects which stem from burning fossil fuels, so this discovery is just another negative attribute to put on top of an already large list of negatives. Unfortunately, the world is too reliant on fossil fuels to simply give up or restrict their use, and in some respects it is because of this unlimited use that the modern age has advanced technologically so quickly in the developed world. Another fact is that fossil fuels aren't in unlimited supply, so eventually, they will all be burned out anyway. This particular study hasn't yet found how the cerium oxide actually causes damage, so it's too early to tell if and how easily the toxicity can be treated.
ReplyDeleteRecently the use of burning fossil fuel had become the biggest issues with people starting care about global warming. We can not avoid using these fossil fuel in today's life, but it is important to try to decrease the amount of fossil fuels we are emitting to the air. Even though it did not show any damage that can be caused by the cerium oxide, we need to decrease the amounts we are using because when you do not know what will happen, it is always best to think about the worst situation that can caused by the issue.
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