Screening the smoke
A RECENT report reveals that the UK regularly exceeds its own stringent limits for particulate emissions from diesel vehicles. The report by the Quality of Urban Air Review Group - set up by the British government - has suggested additional tough measures for controlling the emissions and meeting officially recommended targets. The worst offenders were diesel cars, trucks and buses which accounted for up to 80 per cent of emissions of particulate matter, POO - particles measuring up to one hundredth of a millimetre - in big cities. The vehicles regularly violated the governments recommended standard of 50 micrograms per cu m of air. The only solution, says the report, lies in cutting down traffic in big cities by 80 per cent. The other alternative would be to ban diesel cars, trucks and lorries from cities. The particulates hasten the death of several thousand elderly people by aggravating their heart and respiratory conditions. The government would be addressing these problems in a national meeting for air quality later this summer.
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