What factors affect the composition of diesel fumes?
The quantity and composition of diesel fumes in your workplace may vary depending on: • the quality of diesel fuel used; • the type of engine, eg standard, turbo or injector; • the state of engine tuning; • the fuel pump setting; • the workload demand on the engine; • the engine temperature; • whether the engine has been regularly maintained. What does the colour of the smoke produced indicate? Smoke is the product of combustion. Vehicles at your workplace may produce three kinds of smoke, two of which indicate engine problems. The three types are: • blue smoke (mainly oil and unburnt fuel) which indicates a poorly serviced and/or tuned engine; • black smoke (soot, oil and unburnt fuel) which indicates a mechanical fault with the engine; • white smoke (water droplets and unburnt fuel) which is produced when the engine is started from cold and disappears when the engine warms up. With older engines, the white smoke produced has a sharp smell which may cause irritation to your upper resp
