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November 22, 1999 10:06 AM, EST

A branch of the Environmental Protection Agency issued a draft report that says diesel emissions are “highly likely” to cause cancer and other health problems.

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The study still faces a review by an independent scientific panel, which cited a lack of scientific evidence in rejecting an earlier version of the report in October 1998.

This incarnation by the National Center for Environmental Assessment links diesel emissions to cancer but cites gaps in the research. The agency also notes that the available data make it impossible to provide hard numbers about the cancer risk imposed by emissions.

The diesel health assessment is not a huge policy leap from previous positions the agency has taken. However, it adds one more ounce of evidence to the scale that the EPA and its regulatory counterpart in California will use to decide what to do in future rulemakings on diesel formulation and truck emissions.

For the full story, see the Nov. 22 print edition of Transport Topics. .