Quitting Diesel is Good for Your Health

Diane Bailey reports on a new study's findings linking diesel exhaust to lung cancer. The findings have sparked concern for people who live in large cities with high levels of diesel pollution.

1 minute read

March 6, 2012, 6:00 AM PST

By Alesia Hsiao


A study released last week adds to the growing amount of evidence that diesel exhaust can cause cancer.

Based on the findings from the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), "among heavily exposed miners who typically work underground, the risk of dying from lung cancer was roughly three times greater than for other miners working on the surface. That risk jumps to a seven fold increase of lung cancer for miners who do not smoke."

Bailey suggests that this has raised concerns for people living in urban environments, nearby busy freeways, rail yards and ports that emit large doses of diesel exhaust.

"Environmental exposure to average diesel PM [particulate matter] levels found in many large cities like Los Angeles and New York City over a lifetime approximates the cumulative exposures experienced by the "low exposure" miners group, which had a fifty percent increased lung cancer risk in the miners' study."

Bailey argues that replacing older diesel vehicle with a new generation of clean burning diesel equipment is needed for the sake of public health.

Monday, March 5, 2012 in Switchboard

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight