wondering.

__________________
1980 300D.

120,000

Because diesels put out more "visible" particulates than gas engines. Those particles settle in the lungs when drawn in from breathing, just like cigarette smoke, and causes cancer over time. The finer the particles, the higher the risk.

Gas engines running properly put out very few solid particulates. That's why some states say they are not "cancerous" like Diesels. At least in Kalifornia, Maine, Massachusetts, New York and Vermont.

Actually that is not all factual. Diesel does put out more particulates, but the "soot" is many times larger than those put out by burning gasoline. According to many experts the particulates from the gasoline engine is much harmful to the deep interior of the lungs. Diesel soot is supposed to be too large to get into the part of the lungs that can cause bad damage.

The bottom line is that each side of the argument has their own "experts" and they each tell a different story. I guess if you pay somone enough or poll enough experts you will find some that will back your side of the claim.

__________________
1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

Yes, and if you apply it to certain parts of your body , it has been known to cause reproductive harm but only in the republic of Kalifornia.

__________________
Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

i had a discussion at lunch yesterday with my friend who has heavy equipment. i commented that diesel smoke doesnt have enough carbon monoxide to kill you. he said it was just as dangerous as gas exhaust. so anybody have hard facts out there?

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

They're both potentially carcinogenic. Since gasoline engines require a precise fuel/air mixture in which there's barely enough oxygen to burn all the fuel they tend to produce more carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) than a typical diesel engine. You can't smell or see CO but it can kill you without warning. Hydrocarbons are definitely carcinogenic and are the main smog contributor. Diesels on the other hand, because of their high combustion temperatures, tend to produce more nitrogen oxides (NOx) which contribute to smog as well by combining with HC. Diesels also produce higher amount of particulates which you can sometimes see as smoke, but the particle sizes are larger than that of gasoline engines, so there's some debate on which engine type emits more harmful particulates. If you don't think gasoline engines produce particulates, just have a look at the inside of the exhaust pipe of a gasoline car. I'll bet it's black too. Or pull out the spark plugs and more than likely they will be covered in black soot. It's also worth mentioning that diesels cars, thanks to their better fuel economy, produce less CO2, but CO2 in small quantities doesn't affect our health, but it does affect the climate.

Right now however, at least according to the EPA, the latest gasoline cars are cleaner than the latest diesel cars except for CO2 and maybe CO as well. That's because of the high sulfur content of diesel fuel which prevents manufacturers from installing effective catalysts like the ones gasoline cars have. But that will soon change with ULSD. See Mercedes's Bluetec for example. Its emissions will be as clean as the latest Honda Civic, both of them meeting federal BIN5 emissions.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

http://www.dieselforecast.com/ArticleDetails.php?articleID=224

It's the NOx compounds that are of health concerns. There has been more research on diesel particulates than gasoline particulates. So the comparison is incomplete.

__________________
1999 E300DT (131,800) 154,000 Black on Black SOLD

2006 CLK 500 coupe Capri Blue on Grey (zoom,zoom)
47,000mi

04 VW TDI Passat 80,000mi
(Techno)

How to eliminate oil dependency through market-driven approaches.
“We could cut oil use in half by 2025, and by 2040, oil use could be zero,”
The Sound of Diesel Speed
Ode to MB

but you have to spell it out for me. if you have a diesel running in a closed space can the carbon monoxide kill you? like you used to be able to do with a gasser?

i understand now that if a gasser is running (a modern one) the carbon monox ide is so low it wont either.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Both Gas and Diesel engine use the oxygen from the air. In a closed area when the oxygen is used up you will be dead.

___________________________
300sd
3 Fords
ASE cert.

With an older gasoline vehicle the CO from the exhaust would kill you first, long before the oxygen is depleted. That's because CO bonds to hemoglobin (if I remember correctly from biology) which prevents your blood from carrying oxygen to vital organs. Diesel exhaust would take much longer to kill you, and you'd probably just start coughing from the particulates after some time. Some of the modern cars, especially the ones with SULEV and PZEV ratings, probably produce so little CO that you wouldn't die as long as the engine is warmed up and the oxygen isn't depleted, but I still wouldn't risk running any car in an enclosed space. Speaking of emissions, does anyone know what is currently the cleanest production car in the US? This is a test.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

It'd be amusing to be in an arguement with a smoker whether the gasser exhaust of their SUV is "less dirty/unhealthy" or not than that of one of our diesels. I'd probably say, well, its those things in your pocket that you should be worrying about, I generally avoid sucking on my car's exhaust pipe, so I'm not going to worry about it.

__________________
-diesel is not just a fuel, its a way of life-
'15 GLK250 Bluetec 118k - mine - (OC-123,800)
'17 Metris(VITO!) - 37k - wifes (OC-41k)
'09 Sprinter 3500 Winnebago View - 62k (OC - 67k)
'13 ML350 Bluetec - 95k - dad's (OC-98k)
'01 SL500 - 103k(km) - dad's (OC-110,000km)
'16 E400 4matic Sedan - 148k - Brothers (OC-155k)

now let me ask... who was the idiot who found that out?? lemme guess, the same guy found when google image search is queried with "love" with safesearch on... about halfway down the page if i remember...

__________________
1982 300D (w123, "Grey Car")
1982 300D (w123, "Blue Car")
2001 Ford F150 "Clifford" (The Big Red Truck)
1997 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
Previous Vehicles:
1995 E300D, 1980 300SD, 1992 Buick Century, 2005 Saturn Ion

i guess honda insight

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Close, but not quite. Only the California version with the auto transmission seems to be really clean. For some reason the manual one has much higher emissions. Check out www.fueleconomy.gov

The CNG powered Honda Civic is generally accepted as the cleanest car ever, at least for the 2005 model year. The 2006 Civic Hybrids may be nearly as clean but now they only come with automatics which are no fun.

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL

Hmm, here's something interesting... pressure-sensing glow plugs that will help reduce NOx emissions:
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060123/SUB/60120114/1116/rss02

__________________
2004 VW Jetta TDI (manual)

Past MB's: '96 E300D, '83 240D, '82 300D, '87 300D, '87 420SEL