DIRTY DIESELS NO2 KILLED 6,000 GERMANS

BERLIN : Nitrogen dioxide emissions mainly produced by diesel cars led to 6,000 premature deaths in Germany in 2014, an official report showed on Thursday, in a new punch against the automobile sector.

''A significant cause of  harmful nitrogen oxides in the air clearly arose from diesel cars - even outside the busiest roads.''  said Maria Krautzberger, who led the study of the Germany's Environmental Agency.

''We should do everything to keep our air clean and healthy,'' she added, noting that German courts have now given cities the drastic option to ban dirty diesel vehicles from certain zones.

According to the study, the root of around 6,000 deaths due to  cardiovascular diseases could be traced to nitrogen dioxide emissions.

Besides these deaths, the dangerous gas has also contributed to a rise in a slew diseases including diabetes, hypertension and asthma.

Some 437,000 people suffering from diabetes and 439,000 others who have asthma has been affected by the pollutant.

The future of diesel vehicles is a  divisive issue in Germany, where the automotive industry remains a key pillar of its successful export sector.

[AFP]