Clean air campaigners in the US are calling for the mandatory introduction of soot filters to all diesel vehicles.

A report from the Clean Air Task Force (CATF) has claimed that up to 70,000 Americans' lives are shortened by the impact of fine particulates in the air from vehicles and as such the organisation believes that the US government should take action.

Soot particles from a variety of sources, including diesel engines, can cause a number of illnesses, including lung cancer and heart problems.

However, the CATF said: "The good news is that affordable technology is available today that can virtually eliminate commuter exposure to diesel particles on the road."

While the US has new trucks to add particulate filters since the start of this year, the CATF urges it to go further and introduce filters for all diesel vehicles, with the organisation claiming there are some 13 million vehicles currently on the road in the US without the filters.

However, Allen Schaeffer, Director of the Diesel Technology Forum, has denied that diesel emissions are a significant issue, claiming that diesel engines account for less than five per cent of fine particulate in US air.

Ÿ Adfero Ltd