22-46 Diesel Fuel

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1) in 2012, based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.  This classification was based on the results of a large 2012 US National Cancer Institute/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study of occupational exposure to diesel exhaust emissions in underground miners, which revealed an increased risk for lung cancer in exposed workers.  This study, which was conducted on workers in eight non-metal mining facilities, found a statistically significant positive gradient in lung cancer risk primarily among heavily exposed workers, and concluded that their findings provided further evidence that diesel exhaust exposure may cause lung cancer in humans and may present a potential health burden.  This study, which was the primary basis of the IARC’s classification of diesel engine exhaust as a carcinogen, did not conclude that temporary, transient exposure to diesel engine exhaust from vehicular traffic along a public roadway is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.