IS THE INCREASE IN DIESEL VEHICLES A HEALTH HAZARD FOR SRI LANKA

Abstract

It is proven that this diesel fumes, in the presence of sunlight, Oxygen and Nitrogen produces asubstance, which is carcinogenic to the human being. Therefore This study was conducted withthe objectives of determining whether the number of diesel vehicles imported to Sri Lankaduring the last three decades has increased proportionately over the petrol vehicle; determiningwhether the diesel consumption has increased over petrol consumption in Sri Lanka during thesame period; determining whether the number of patients with Lung Cancer had increased in SriLanka concurrently.

The Motor Traffic Department Data from 1970 to 1996 and the Petroleum Corporation data from1982 to 1996 were analysed using SPSS1O.1 statistical software. The data from the CancerControl Program was available only for three years. The Motor Traffic Department hascategorized the Class of vehicle into Cars and Three Wheelers, Motor Cycles, Buses, DualPurpose vehicles, Lorries and Land Vehicles. It was assumed that of these types, the bus, thelorry and the dual-purpose vehicle ale diesel driven.

In 1970 there were 48,034 buses and lorries in Sri Lanka. This was 27.2% of the total vehiclepopulation. This nearby doubled to 81,910 in 1980, which constituted 24.3% of the total vehiclepopulation. Till 1985, no dual-purpose vehicle was registered in the country. In 1985, this totalincreased to 138,289 (26.4%), which included 1121 dual-purpose vehicles. The dual-purposevehicle was only 0.2% of the total vehicle population in this year.

The total number of buses, lorries and dual-purpose vehicles increased to 165,626 in 1990 and to283,174 in 1995. These were 20.2% and 22.2% of the total vehicle population in these twoyears. The number of dual-purpose vehicles in these two years was, 19,622 and 68,857respectively. These as a proportion of the total vehicle population were 2.4 and 5.4 per centrespectively. In 1996, the dual-purpose vehicle increased to 83,114, 6.3 per cent of the totalvehicle population.

The petrol consumption, which was 121.6 thousand tonnes in 1985, increased to 181.1 in 1990and to 189.7 in 1995. The comparable figures for diesel consumption were 488.5, 511.1 and816.4. The diagnosed cases of patients with Lung Cancer in Sri Lanka were 358 in 1985, whichincreased to 581 in 1990 and to 66:, in 1995. It can be concluded that the dual-purpose vehiclehas increased during the last part of the twentieth century.

Consumption of diesel has increased tremendously while the petrol consumption had virtuallybeen constant and that lung cancer also had increased. Based on the findings it is recommendedto reduce the number of diesel vehicles used for domestic use. But for this the cost of fuel priceswill have to be adjusted or, strict laws prohibiting the use of diesel vehicles for domestic use willhave to be imposed and implemented. Whether the increase in the diesel consumption hascaused this increase in the number of lung cancer patients is not clear