First screen
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The version with the animated facts (large filesize) includes audio so please make sure you have access to speakers and that your computer’s volume is turned up.
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Dying man
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Animated fact
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in Britain, more than 650 people a year die of lung or bladder cancer caused by diesel fumes at work
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• This brief presentation is designed to raise awareness among your workers of the risks from some diesel fumes
• It’s aimed at anyone who comes into contact on a regular, sustained basis with diesel fumes which have the potential to affect their health
• Slides include FAQs or notes that you can use to respond to questions, or to supplement your presentation
• Hand out IOSH’s free leaflet or pocket card on diesel fumes to support this presentation
• Hand out IOSH’s free infographic giving a quick overview of the issue
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Animated fact

people regularly exposed to diesel exhaust fumes at work are up to 40% more likely to develop lung cancer
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• This slide and the next are based on UK national lottery data and national occupational cancer statistics
– adjust the figures using local data if you need to
• Ask people to put their hand up if they regularly buy lottery tickets.
Ask them how long they’d bother queuing if it was a rollover week
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• When they see how much higher a chance they have of getting an occupational cancer, explain that they are 70,000 times more likely to get a work-related cancer than of picking the winning lottery numbers
• In the UK alone, around 500,000 workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of diesel fumes
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• When they see how much higher a chance they have of getting an occupational cancer, explain that they are 70,000 times more likely to get a work-related cancer than of picking the winning lottery numbers
• In the UK alone, around 500,000 workers could be exposed to dangerous levels of diesel fumes
• Across Europe, more than 3.6 million people could be exposed
• Some types of diesel contain more than 10 times the soot particles of petrol. It’s the soot particles that include carcinogenic – cancer- causing
– substances. If you’re regularly exposed to these over a long time, you have a 40 per cent higher chance of getting lung cancer
• Remind your audience that it can take just a few minutes to make sure they’re protected against harmful diesel fumes – no longer than it takes to stand in line for a lottery ticket
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Animated fact
• In Europe there are 5,700 diesel cancer cases registered each year
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• Use one of the practical demonstrations if you want to make your session more interactive and memorable
– see the end of this presentation
Typical questions you may get asked
• These figures seem high – how can it be proved?
There has been research done in a number of different countries linking diesel fume exposure to the work people do and the cancer they get. In the
UK, a recent research report, funded by the Health and Safety Executive and the largest of its kind in the world, looked at patients who suffered from different forms of cancer and then linked it to the work they did. Dr Rushton and her team of researchers found a strong link between diesel exposure at work and lung and bladder cancers
• What about if people smoke, isn’t that what gives them lung cancer?
Robust research takes lifestyle issues into account. The Rushton research was adjusted to reflect what are known as
‘confounding factors’ like smoking.
People who don’t smoke can still get lung cancer as a result of diesel fume exposure. People who do smoke and are exposed to diesel fumes are more likely to get lung cancer than if they just smoked
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•
Diesel is much cleaner now
– is this still a problem?
It depends on the standards in the country you’re operating in. For example, in EU countries, there should are higher standards –since 1992/93 there has been a steady reduction in allowable emissions on new vehicles including cars, trucks, trains, tractors and barges. The latest reductions were in
2008/09 with the Euro 5/V standard and in 2013/14 with the Euro 6/VI standard. In other parts of the world, for example Africa and Asia, standards for diesel are lower. Different equipment will have different standards too
– for example, a diesel generator would not be covered by some vehicle exhaust emission standards, and seagoing ships are excluded. In addition, remember that more recent vehicle emission standards only apply to new vehicles so older vehicles are likely to be producing higher emissions
• What is it in diesel that causes cancer?
The risk of cancer is linked with the particulate emissions in the fumes
– the soot, rather than the gases or vapours. Diesel engine exhaust exposure is now often measured by the elemental carbon concentrations in the air inhaled by workers
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Animated fact
• in Europe, there are around 4,500 diesel cancer deaths each year
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Notes
• You’ll obviously need to tailor this section to reflect what action you’ve taken – make it relevant to your business
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Under risk assessment, you can talk about checking things like: o the type of diesel being used o whether diesel fumes are at toxic levels o whether fumes are building up in closed-in areas o whether fumes are making sooty deposits or a smoky haze in the workplace
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Under taking action, you can talk about things like: o changing to another type of fuel o maintaining old engines properly or replacing them o using ventilation systems or filters o asking employees to turn engines off when they’re not being used (this not only cuts harmful emissions, but will mean lower fuel costs and less impact on the environment too)
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Notes
• You’ll obviously need to tailor this section to reflect what action you’ve taken – make it relevant to your business

Under risk assessment, you can talk about checking things like: o the type of diesel being used o whether diesel fumes are at toxic levels o whether fumes are building up in closed-in areas o whether fumes are making sooty deposits or a smoky haze in the workplace
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Under taking action, you can talk about things like: o changing to another type of fuel o maintaining old engines properly or replacing them o using ventilation systems or filters o asking employees to turn engines off when they’re not being used (this not only cuts harmful emissions, but will mean lower fuel costs and less impact on the environment too)
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Animated fact
• across Europe, more than 3.6 million workers are exposed to diesel fumes above city background levels
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You can tailor this slide too, to make it relevant to where you work and the conditions of diesel fume exposure
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Animated fact
• in the UK, around 500,000 workers could be exposed to high levels of diesel fumes
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Notes
• These are all signs that could mean that diesel fume exposure is too high
– encourage your workers to talk up if they think things need checking out
• Encourage people to get professional medical advice if they have a lingering health problem. In most cases, it won’t be serious – but if there is a significant health issue then getting it diagnosed early can help make treatment more effective
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Animated fact

around 800 new cases of cancer linked to diesel fumes are registered each year in Britain
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Read our engagement ideas sheet for details of how to stage
‘The Straw Walk’
This is an optional exercise.
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Read our engagement ideas sheet for details of how to stage
‘The Aerosol Test’
This an optional exercise
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