I've been busy lately. The computer time that I've had, I've either been on POTC (Pirates of the Caribbean), or investigating the effect of diesel fumes to the lungs. Basically, I'm investigating the disease my dad had.
My dad was a truck driver for 30 years, and had over 2,000,000 safe miles on the road. He was an excellent truck driver, and had won many awards. One of the things he always looked forward to was the truck rodeos that his work would have yearly. He proudly participated in it each year, I remember one year, he had won, and the whole family was flown to Denver to watch him in the Nationals. My dad retired in 1999, leaving his love for truck driving behind, to enjoy his retired years.
Being a truck driver, he of course was exposed to diesel fumes while he worked. Either from idling trucks, or from the work yard. I'm coming to find out from my investigating, that these diesel fumes have done more than just power his rig.
From what I'm finding, the disease my dad had (Pulmonary Fibrosis - scarring of the lung tissue, the tissue that gives oxygen to the rest of the body), is listed as one of the non-cancerous effects of diesel fumes inhalation. Some of the soot's particles are as little as 2.5 microns (could be smaller even), which is small enough to be inhaled deep into the lungs, causing first inflamation, then scarring. The fuel that is not combusted, becomes these particle matter that is part of the diesel exhaust, and inhaled deep into the lungs.
I have a great animated link to a site that I want you to watch. It shows the effects of the toxic fumes to the lungs. Make sure you click all the tabs to see the different areas...
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/animati...icair_lung.swf
The Bush administration has been wonderful at trying to get cleaner air. They put into effect the Clear Skies legislative, setting new standards for diesel fumes. It's not only semi trucks, but fire trucks, and school buses, construction equipment, etc. The government has granted money to fix the fire station's exhaust problems, and the school buses are being upgraded with new exhaust filters.
We were told that they didn't know where this disease came from. I think that I'm heading down the right pathway here. My dad's life was cut short, I feel badly for the people out there that suffer from breathing problems. I saw it first hand..
I would ask that any of you that have any knowledge about Pulmonary Fibrosis, or know things of the effect of diesel fumes on the lungs and heart, please post here, or PM here if you'd like. I do want to make sure that people know of the effects of these toxic fumes on one's health.
