Current Intelligence Bulletin 50: Carcinogenic Effects of Exposure to Diesel Exhaust

The purpose of this bulletin is to disseminate recent information on the potential carcinogenicity of diesel exhaust. In March 1986, NIOSH issued a document entitled “Evaluation of the Potential Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Diesel Exhaust in Underground Coal Mines.” This document stated that workers exposed to diesel exhaust experienced eye irritation and reversible decrements in pulmonary function. In the document, NIOSH concluded that no causal relationship had been established between exposure to whole diesel exhaust and cancer, but that such a relationship was plausible on the basis of animal studies in which extracts of diesel exhaust were used. Since the release of that document, reports of studies in animals have confirmed the potential carcinogenicity of whole diesel exhaust.