HEATH ALERT
Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM)
The exhaust from diesel engines contains a mixture of gases and very small particles that can create a health hazard when not properly controlled.
What is Diesel Particulate Matter (DPM)?
- DPM is a component of diesel exhaust that includessoot particles made up primarily of carbon, ash,metallic abrasion
- particles, sulfates, and silicates.
- Diesel soot particles consist of elemental carbon andorganic
- carbon compounds.
What are the health effects of DPM?
- Prolonged DPM exposure can increase the risk ofcardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, respiratory disease,and lung cancer.
- Short term exposure to high concentrations of dieselexhaust
- can cause headache, dizziness, and irritationof the eye, nose, and throat.
Engineering controls:
- Installing cleaner burning engines.
- Performing routine preventive maintenance of diesel engines to
- minimize emissions.
- Using special fuels or fuel additives (e.g., biodiesel).
- Provide increased ventilation where diesel engines are operated.
- Providing equipment cabs with filtered air.
Administrative controls:
- Restricting the amount of diesel-powered equipment and total engine horsepower operating in a given area and ensure that the number of
- vehicles operating in an area does not exceed the capacity of the ventilation.
- Restricting unnecessary idling of engines.
- PPE and respirator use should be the “last line of defense” in the
- hierarchy of controls.
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