Smelly fumes: less exposure
"If traffic pollution smelled it might encourage policy changes to reduce exposure." Image: actual_size_/iStockphoto With the World Health Organization categorising diesel fumes as carcinogenic a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) scientist said if fumes had a stronger smell they would be easier to avoid. QUT Public Health Associate Professor Adrian Barnett said most exhaust gasses were odourless and invisible as were some other very dangerous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, particulate matter and ozone. "It is possible to give traffic pollution a smell and this has been demonstrated by some alternative fuels, such as chip fat," he said. "Standard fuels could be given a smell by using an additive, such as methanol or butanol that smells after combustion. "If traffic pollution smelled it might encourage policy changes to reduce exposure." He said one easily fixable example was drive-throughs, where staff spend long hours next to idling engines, and often in enclosed spaces. "The staff and their employers are...