IF you have ever driven behind a diesel vehicle, you are probably familiar with the thick black smoke coming from the exhaust and the strong smell oozing into your nose and throat and going on into your lungs.
Many times when I am riding through the busy streets of Riyadh, I see dirty old trucks spewing fumes into the air, polluting it with carbon monoxide and other dangerous substances. For example, last weekend while I was with my family, I saw a number of vehicles fitting this description. This was on Makkah Road where the traffic was heavy that day.
However, the offending vehicles are common everywhere and all the time. As we waited patiently for traffic to move , an awful smell entered our car as I noticed smoke coming from the truck in front of us. This black smoke was not only harmful to my family and the people around us but also to our environment. Despite continuing attempts by traffic police to control the problem, vehicles by the dozens still continue to pollute the air with these dangerous smoke clouds coming from their exhausts.
Vehicle exhaust is a significant source of air pollution. It contains harmful pollutants such as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides. These chemicals are known to cause cancer, bronchial asthma, and respiratory problems in people. Some of the minor problems are skin and eye irritations, headaches, and coughing. One article by an Indian doctor confirms that “nitrogen oxides and volatile hydrocarbons from vehicle emissions combine to form photochemical smog which causes respiratory problems and carbon monoxide from vehicle emissions restricts oxygen uptake, causes drowsiness, headaches and death.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that an estimated three million people die each year because of air pollution. The WHO also reports that 30-40 percent of cases of asthma and 20-30 percent of all respiratory diseases may be linked to air pollution. Imagine living in Cairo where the lead concentration in certain areas can exceed 20 times the maximum level set by the World Heath Organization! Or in Mexico City which is one of the most polluted cities in the world — with over one million of its 18 million inhabitants suffering permanent breathing difficulties. And India, where 20 percent of the annual deaths are due to the poisonous smoke emitted by vehicles. We can now clearly understand the need for solutions to this problem.
There are many things we as a community can do to limit vehicle air pollution. For instance, performing proper maintenance on all vehicles, making sure our fuel and engines are clean, and using catalytic converters. We can also reduce the use of private vehicles by using public transport or car pools, increasing public awareness on this issue, and most importantly, taking the license number of offenders who are polluting the air and reporting them to the authorities.
Clean fresh air is as vital to our environment as food and water. It is an essential part of life just as vehicles are. There are more vehicles on the road now than ever before. Many studies have shown a direct relationship between the number of vehicles and income. As income rises, so do the number of vehicles. At times we take them for granted. We jump into our cars or trucks, enjoying all the comfort and convenience of getting us where we are going in the shortest possible time. We use vehicles to travel even the smallest of distances, unaware of the dangers of exhaust emissions and potential health risks. These fumes can easily become a serious problem affecting each one of us and they must not be ignored.