The Actual Toxicity of Engine Exhaust Gases Emitted from Vehicles: The Development and Perspectives of Biological and Chemical Measurement Methods

Most of the currentstudies on vehicle engine exhaust emissionsare focused on qualitative and quantitative measurements. Approvaltests for admitting vehicles to traffic and tests performed at vehicleinspection stations are limited to measuring the concentrations ofindividual compounds or selected groups of compounds. For vehicleswith compression-ignition engines, the annual emission control comprisesonly an exhaust gas opacity test, performed with an opacimeter. Thisapproach does not consider very harmful groups of compounds thatdetermine the toxicity of exhaust gases but are not directly coveredby the emission standards, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsand volatile organic compounds. Also, it does not provide a clearanswer to the question of the actual toxicity of exhaust gases, understoodas the harmful effect that a given substance causes on living organismsor biological processes. Studies on the actual toxicity of engineexhaust gases present a new area of interest, increasingly more discussedbut still not approached in a comprehensive way. The studies includeexperiments using in vitro biological methods andchemical analyses of gas mixtures. In this Review, I present an overviewof current research and a critical comparison of commonly used methodsof testing engine exhaust emissions and methods that might supplementthem in a significant manner. The development of in vitro biological methods, including methods of microscopic analysis ofcells in the assessment of exhaust gas toxicity, provides an innovativeapproach to the problem of air pollution. This type of research presentsthe opportunity to indisputably answer the question of the actualtoxicity of a given gas mixture and to make a new contribution toscience in the field of molecular biology. Current data show thatthe survival of cells exposed to engine exhaust emissions from oldergeneration vehicles is higher compared to that of newer generationvehicles.

Automated summary

Most studies on vehicle engine exhaust emissions focus on qualitative and quantitative measurements, without considering the actual toxicity and harmful compounds. These studies measure the concentrations of individual compounds or selected groups, but fail to answer the question of actual toxicity. Current data indicate that cells exposed to exhaust emissions from older vehicles have higher survival rates compared to emissions from newer vehicles.