Is Air-Pollution just a mist-demeanor?

I was driving around a roundabout beside a 4x4 diesel contraption this morning. I'd the ventilation turned on in my car, which was a mistake because the fumes that engulfed me from that yucky mummy mobile, made think for a brief moment about the holocaust. It took about a minute before the smell of the fumes dispersed, though the effects of that encounter may last longer.Recent headlines...

Diesel pollution 'clogs arteries'
Diesel fumes appear to combine with artery-clogging fats to raise the risk of heart disease, research suggests.

Roadside diesel pollution poses heart danger
Air pollution reduces blood flow and interferes with the body's natural ability to break up blood clots...
The researchers tested 20 male volunteers, who pedalled an exercise bike while breathing diluted fumes from the exhaust of an idling Volvo diesel engine.

I've been trying to find out if any action can be, or has been, taken here in Northern Ireland about air pollution. I know that most councils enforce smokeless zones which relate to what type of heating fuel is burned. If I lived in Chester I could help identify smoky buses and lorries and report the details to the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency. ...

Air Quality - Smoky Diesels

All diesels produce some smoke when they are started and during acceleration. Poorly maintained diesel engines produce many times more pollution than well maintained vehicles. The smoke that is produced is extremely unpleasant to breathe and dirties buildings.

The information, available to me online, about air quality in Northern Ireland covers only Belfast, Derry and Lough Navar. The Environment Agency Pollution Prevention Guidelines don't mention air pollution.It's commonly believed on this side of the Atlantic that the USA is the biggest polluter on earth. That may be so, but some good ideas originate from there and I'd like to see brought into practice here.From GASP...

Diesel Campaign

Diesel exhaust poses a serious risk to Allegheny County residents' health. Diesel exhaust shortens the lives of 237 Pittsburghers each year, and triggers hundreds of heart attacks and thousands of asthma attacks. Our children and the elderly are most at risk from the harmful effects of diesel exhaust.

The good news is that there is existing technology that can cut diesel emissions by 90% or more. Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) has begun a comprehensive program that involves educating the general public, school districts and local leaders about the harmful effects of diesel exhaust and strategies they can take to clean up existing diesel engine fleets. GASP is also advocating for a variety of regulatory clean-up options that will reduce diesel exhaust locally and regionally.

GASP created this magnet to remind school bus drivers not to idle now that there's a "no idling" regulation in effect.

Today is Blog Action Day and on the off chance that anyone reads this that has any influence over managing or providing guidelines on preventing air pollution in Northern Ireland please don't forget that diesel can seriously damage your health.

Reminds me of a song...
Sometimes, all I need is the air that I breathe.