Every year cancers, lung disease and heart conditions stemming from exposure to vehicle pollution cost the world`s economy billions of dollars.
In many parts of Europe and Asia, where diesel powered vehicles are much more prevalent, human exposure to dangerous fine particles from diesel exhaust has risen to crisis levels.
A ground-breaking instrument has been developed to tackle this problem by Australian company Air Quality Technologies (AQT). The new instrument is about to hit world markets through a partnership with MAHA Maschinenbau, a leading German test equipment manufacturer.
The radical new instrument harnesses advanced laser and microprocessor technologies to make the measurement of dangerous fine particles in diesel exhaust a simple, low-cost activity that can be readily incorporated into routine vehicle maintenance.
Introducing the new instrument, AQT`s Managing Director Peter Anyon says for many years governments have acknowledged the need to reduce human exposure to diesel exhaust particles.
"Although a lot has been done to tighten new vehicle emission standards and improve fuel quality, the greatest proportion of these dangerous pollutants is generated by older or badly maintained vehicles," he says.
"Until recently, nothing was available to quickly and reliably check for excessive particle levels, or to confirm the effectiveness of maintenance and repairs," Anyon adds.
"Visible smoke can help identify the need for some maintenance, but is a poor indicator of fine particle levels, as they are too small to be detected by the human eye.
"Our challenge was to take particle measurement from the laboratory to the workshop; translating a slow and expensive scientific process into a fast, practical and rugged maintenance tool."
The new Australian designed instrument achieves this goal on all counts. Weighing less than 3kg and housed in a case the size of a shoe box, it provides an instantaneous, continuous readout of particle concentration and can even be used to measure emissions while the vehicle is driven on the road.
Compare this with the traditional method, which requires a squash court sized laboratory, three highly trained operators, and a minimum of three hours to deliver a single result.
A pre-production instrument will be demonstrated on MAHA Australia`s stand at the CVIAQ Truck and Machinery Show in Queensland, Australia, 17-20 May 2007.
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