Dangers of Vehicle Exhaust Smoke Pollution

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vehicles, particularly two-wheeled vehicles, have become an essential part of people's mobility. High rate of development has increased the needs of two-wheeled vehicles rapidly. Despite being proven to be helpful, vehicles also created negative impacts, namely air pollution caused by vehicle exhaust smoke.

Quoted from repository.unika.ac.id, smoke generated by motor vehicles may contain Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), Ozone (O3), Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), Lead (Pb) and Hydrocarbon (HC).

The aforementioned substances can damage the environment, especially people's health. The following are examples of medical issues that may be caused by vehicle exhaust smoke.

Respiratory Issues
As stated above, vehicle exhaust smoke contains carbon monoxide and poisonous gas. Quoted from hse.gov.uk, excessive exposure to vehicle exhaust smoke might cause drowsiness and Dyspnea and could lead to lung cancer in the long term.

Headache
According to scienceabc.com, carbon monoxide is a common substance found in vehicle exhaust smoke. Carbon monoxide can harm the body by binding the blood's haemoglobin and causing to asthenia, disorientation or headache.

Cancer
fumeavent.com stated that substances in vehicle exhaust smoke are carcinogenic to humans. The substances contained in vehicle exhaust smoke may potentially cause cancer due to genetic mutation. Furthermore, diesel vehicle smoke is far more lethal compared to gasoline vehicle smoke.

Disrupts the Kidney
A journal titled "Effect of Smoke Exposure to Mice's Kidney Histology" (2015), long term exposure to vehicle exhaust smoke can disrupt the kidney's functions. Continuous exposure to vehicle exhaust smoke can result in the creation of ultrafine particles that will cause damage to the kidney.

NAOMY A. NUGRAHENI