What are the pollutants in diesel exhaust?
Diesel exhaust contains more than 40 toxic substances, smog-forming emissions, particulate pollution (sometimes called “soot”), unburned hydrocarbons and other harmful byproducts — many of which are known cancer-causing agents. Particulate pollution is a mix of soot, smoke and tiny particles formed in the atmosphere from sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides (also a key ingredient of smog) and ammonia. Sooty particles are most dangerous when very small as they are easily inhaled and damage lungs.
