Diesel fuel vs. natural gas: Clearing the air
Joe Wilson is CEO of Infinity Resource Group, Inc., a professional mineral rights consulting firm in Parkersburg, W.Va., and a Registered Landman. David Pearl is managing director of a CNG patent holding company and president of a CNG fuel island development company. Your questions are welcomed by calling 412-535-9200 or by e-mailing joe@irg-energy.com.
Did you know that the City of Paris, France is banning diesel fueled vehicles and London, England is considering doing the same? Most people are not aware that diesel fumes are toxic and a major source of air pollution.
When the Mayor of Paris detailed plans to ban diesel and other vehicles from the center of Paris by 2020, she framed the measures as a public health imperative. The World Health Organization reports that diesel exhaust causes lung cancer, and some experts believe it is more carcinogenic than secondhand smoke. A 2005 European Commission study estimates 40,000 people in France die prematurely from fine particle air pollution each year.
According to the New York Times, Mayor Hidalgo said, 鈥淚 want diesel cars out of Paris by 2020,鈥� though later her aides said the proposal targets any vehicles with high particle emissions or other high-polluting exhaust.
Diesel exhaust is a complex mixture of thousands of gases and fine particles that contains more than 40 toxic air contaminants. These include many known or suspected cancer-causing substances, such as benzene, arsenic and formaldehyde. It also contains other harmful pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, which are components of smog.
The European Union蘑菇视频 fight against climate change favored diesel over gasoline, because diesel engines burn fuel more efficiently and emit less carbon dioxide (CO2), the leading cause of global warming. But a byproduct of burning diesel is nitrogen dioxide (NO2). 鈥淪uccessive governments knew more than 10 years ago that diesel was producing all these harmful polluta ts, but they myopically plowed on with their anti-CO2 agenda,鈥� says Simon Birkett, founder of Clean Air in London, a nonprofit. 鈥淚t蘑菇视频 been a catastrophe for air pollution, and that蘑菇视频 not too strong a word.鈥�
Here in the U.S., where diesel costs more than gasoline and has not been widely available 鈥� and where diesel cars are more expensive 鈥� the greater air-quality concern has been coal-burning power plants. According to the AAA, nine million passenger vehicles run on diesel fuel in the United States or about 3.5 percent of the overall fleet of 255 million. While improvements to diesel fuel and diesel engines are being made, and are reducing emissions of some of diesel蘑菇视频 dangerous particulates, the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) reports that diesel exhaust is still one of the most widespread and toxic substances in California蘑菇视频 air.
Diesel exhaust particles and gases are suspended in the air, so exposure to this pollutant occurs whenever a person breathes air that contains these substances. The prevalence of diesel-powered engines makes it almost impossible to avoid exposure to diesel exhaust or its byproducts, regardless of whether you live in a rural or urban setting. However, people living and working in urban and industrial areas are more likely to be exposed to this pollutant. As we breathe, the toxic gases and small particles of diesel exhaust are drawn into the lungs. The microscopic particles in diesel exhaust are less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, where they contribute to a range of health problems. Those spending time on or near roads and freeways, truck loading and unloading operations, operating diesel-powered machinery or working near diesel equipment face exposure to higher levels of diesel exhaust and face higher health risks.
Exposure to diesel exhaust can have immediate health effects. Diesel exhaust can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and it can cause coughs, headaches, lightheadedness and nausea. In studies with human volunteers, diesel exhaust particles made people with allergies more susceptible to the materials to which they are allergic, such as dust and pollen. Exposure to diesel exhaust also causes inflammation in the lungs, which may aggravate chronic respiratory symptoms and increase the frequency or intensity of asthma attacks.
In its comprehensive assessment of diesel exhaust, OEHHA analyzed more than 30 studies of people who worked around diesel equipment, including truck drivers, railroad workers and equipment operators. The studies showed these workers were more likely to develop lung cancer than workers who were not exposed to diesel emissions. These studies provide strong evidence that long-term occupational exposure to diesel exhaust increases the risk of lung cancer.
Using information from OEHHA蘑菇视频 assessment, it is estimated that diesel-particle levels measured in California蘑菇视频 air in 2000 could cause 540 鈥渆xcess鈥� cancers (beyond what would occur if there were no diesel particles in the air) in a population of 1 million people over a 70-year lifetime.
OEHHA advocates the use of natural gas as a far better alternative to diesel as it does not pollute the air.
Natural gas is not toxic.
Its primary component is methane, which occurs in nature, and is not in and itself toxic.
Natural gas is increasingly being used to replace gasoline in smaller applications, such as in forklifts and commercial lawn equipment.
And companies with diesel powered trucks in the U.S. are beginning to convert their fleets to natural gas 鈥� because of significant cost savings. As reported in 鈥淪cientific American,鈥� because natural gas is a low-carbon, clean-burning fuel, a switch to natural gas in these applications can result in substantial reductions of hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and greenhouse gas emissions. Public transit systems throughout the U.S. are using an increased number of passenger buses that run on natural gas.
The U.S. Department of Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center states that overall natural gas fuels (CNG and LNG) are both clean-burning fuels and perform well against current vehicle emissions standards.
So as we celebrate Earth Day, it蘑菇视频 nice to know that there is a fossil fuel 鈥� natural gas 鈥� whose 鈥渇umes鈥� do not pollute the air.
This is great news for those in the natural gas industry and those that own natural gas mineral rights.
Before making any decision regarding the disposition of your mineral rights, it is always advisable to seek professional advice from a mineral rights consultant for an evaluation of your mineral rights, and to consult with your lawyer and tax advisor.