In the medical Profession, the criticism of the limit values for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter is growing – and so to the nationwide threat of driving bans for older diesel vehicles. More than 100 German lung specialist doctors have signed a position paper, the doubts, the health risk due to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and a Review of the limits calls.
In the written opinion, which is the NDR, the former President of the German society for pneumology (DGP), Prof. Dieter Köhler, a majority of the existing studies into the health risks posed by diesel exhaust as methodologically questionable.
Thus Köhler goes against the previous Position of the current Board of the DGP. This was pointed out at the beginning of December in detail on the health risks associated with NO2 attentive and the results of the study of the renowned Munich-based Helmholtz-Institute for environmental medicine. The Munich researchers see significant health hazards due to nitrogen dioxide in low concentrations, as the currently applicable limit value for NO2 of 40 micrograms of NO2 per cubic meter of air, annual average. You have compared the disease to the detriment of the urban population with those of people in the country and the differences in the NO2 emissions from diesel vehicles are purchased.
The number of critics is larger than initially assumed
For Prof. Köhler, these differences are attributed but rather on other factors, such as different alcohol, exercise or smoke. "It makes a random correlation, causality, for which there is no justification. On the contrary, You can refute even very good."
Köhler’s critique of this Position, and in the meanwhile, received more than 100 signatures on Wednesday, 23. January, in a joint statement of the DGP, the German lung Foundation and the Association of Pneumological clinics distributed. The President-in-office of the DGP, the Hamburg-based lung specialist Prof. Klaus Rabe, wants to go in order to the critics in his own organization, and a dispassionate debate on the scientific foundations of the current legal limits allow. Raven admitted to the NDR, the number of critics is far greater than initially assumed. Overall, the DGP has around 4000 members.
Chief physician of lung clinic: "MIS -, ideology-based Populismus"
The conflict of the professional Association of lung doctors is of great importance for the ongoing discussion of driving bans for older diesel vehicles. The current statutory limit is exceeded in many German cities, a number of administrative courts have imposed then driving bans for Diesel cars. The critics consider this to be disproportionate. In force of such a prohibition for Diesel came from Euro-Norm 4 last updated on 1. January 2019 for the entire environmental zone in Stuttgart.
The head doctor of the pulmonary clinic at the hospital to the Red cross, Prof., Martin Hetzel, shares the criticism of Köhler: "There is no particulate matter or NO2-disease of the lungs or of the heart, which can be found in the hospital. There is also not a single dead that would be the result of causal to fine particles or NO2. This is bad science, ideology-driven populism."
Critic: With an annual average from the USA in Germany there is no driving bans for Diesel cars
Köhler and Hetzel also doubt the Figures about thousands of premature deaths on the basis of NO2, which has been widely used by the Federal environment Agency with reference to the studies of the Helmholtz Institute. Compared with the NDR Prof. Dieter Köhler: " said;The Dilemma here is that the data location has to offer. The current limit value of NO2 is completely harmless. He produced not a single dead." For Prof. Hetzel, the calculations of the Helmholtz-Institute designed mathematical models that have to do with the reality: "It is simply not plausible that these low concentrations of NO2 and particulate matter the Health effects and the deaths to be the cause of, which are currently being published."
The critics to Köhler are calling on the Federal government, the current limit value for nitrogen dioxide to be re-examined. The value is based on a recommendation of the world health organization. Other countries, such as, for example, the United States has not followed this recommendation because they considered the scientific base is inadequate. In almost all the States of the United States is an average value of 103 micrograms of NO2 per cubic meter, significantly higher Year. With this value, there would be no driving bans for Diesel cars.