Motor vehicle emissions - a killer

Motor vehicle emissions are composed of the by-products which come out of the exhaust systems and contribute to air pollution and smog in large cities.

Main motor vehicle emissions:

NO_x

nitrogen oxides NO and NO₂ react with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form nitric acid vapor and related particles. Small particles can penetrate deeply into sensitive lung tissue and damage it, causing premature death in extreme cases. Inhalation of such particles may cause or worsen respiratory diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis.

It may also aggravate existing heart disease.  In a 2005 U.S. EPA study the largest emissions of NOx came from on road motor vehicles.

Carbon monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal air poisoning in many countries. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless and tasteless, but highly toxic. It combines with hemoglobin to produce carboxyhemoglobin, which is ineffective for delivering oxygen to bodily tissues. In the U.S. 60% of carbon monoxide is caused by on road vehicles

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas. Motor vehicle CO₂ emissions are part of the anthropogenic contribution to the growth of CO₂ concentrations in the atmosphere which is believed by a majority of scientists to play a significant part in climate change. Motor vehicles are calculated to generate about 20 per-cent of the European Union's man-made CO₂emissions, with passenger cars contributing about 12 per-cent.

Let's reduce the number of passenger cars on our roads!!