Way out of Vehicular Pollution?

Chennai's vehicular population touches 11,51,626 of which there are over 8.5 lakh two wheelers alone. The tailpipes of all these spew out 1450 tons of pollutants comprising Particulate Matter, Respirable Dust Particles, Nitrogen Oxide, Sulphur Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide and Lead. A health examination of the city's traffic policemen done recently has revealed that vehicular pollution has done irreparable damage to their lungs, with 32 out of 51 persons suffering from respiratory disorders. Further tests with pulmonary function test apparatus are on the cards.

This straight away throws to focus the urgent need to promote alternate fuel systems that lower the pollution levels and are also cost effective to run. For those who blame it all on diesel vehicles alone, here is some news about petrol. The benzene emissions from petrol vehicles are as carcinogenic as suspended particulate matter and nitrogen oxides in diesel. Therefore, the natural choice falls on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) that is termed as Autogas when used to propel vehicles. Though there is a perceptible shift in politics over this issue with over 40 cities in India seeking a ban on non-clean vehicles, still much has to be done, as manufacturers even now await Government clearance through Gazette Notification to commercially produce vehicles with alternative fuel sources like LPG.

The table below showing the effects and sources of pollutants will drive home the seriousness and urgency of the matter.

Pollutants	Sources	Effects
Carbon Monoxide (CO)	Automobiles, trucks, heavy vehicles, construction and industrial equipment.	Affects the oxygenation of tissues. It causes headaches, and decreased mental alertness.
Lead (Pb)	Leaded Petrol	Brain damage and kidney damage. Children exposed to this pollutant often acquire learning disabilities.
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)	Automobiles	Respiratory infections and lung damage. Retards the growth of plants. Reacts with certain atmospheric elements to form acid rain.
Ozone (O3)	Formed when NOx and organic compounds react in the presence of sunlight.	Irritates the nose and throat, and causes headaches. It also damages vegetation.
Particulate Matter	Caused by the incomplete combustion of any fuel.	Causes respiratory disorders and lung damage. It is also a suspected carcinogen.
Sulphur Dioxide (SO2)	Produced when fossil fuels are burnt.	Causes lung diseases and breathing problems for asthmatics. It also forms acid rain.
Volatile Organic Compounds	Produced by automobiles and the use of solvents.	Respiratory disorders and carcinogenic effects caused by benzene.

In the case of LPG, there is hardly any discharge of carbon monoxide and exhaust fumes contain less harmful substances compared to petrol and diesel. Thus the environmental advantages of Autogas are indisputable.

Chennai based automobile giant TVS has developed the country's first LPG scooter. Says Mr. Gopalakrishnan of Transenergy, a subsidiary of the company that the scooter has a a replaceable LPG cylinder and autogas can be filled through a hose at a dispensing station. "With replaceable cylinders the scooters would have a far greater reach and can be used even in small towns and rural areas where dispensing stations cannot be set up. This scooter has been tested extensively at TNO, Holland for crash and fire tests during which the scooter has come out with flying colours," says Mr. Satish Srinivasan, AGM - Projects, TVS - Suzuki (Hosur). The scooter - TVS Eureka - was demonstrated to the TNPCB last month and its commercial production would commence once the Government approval comes through (which is expected to take another six months' time.) Till the time that Autogas driven four wheelers and two wheelers rule our roads, strict emission control checks for vehicles and their conformation to Euro II norms have to be enforced.