Given below in sober scientific language is the outcome of decades of deliberation:
After a week-long meeting of international experts, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO), today classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.
The New York Times explains that the implications are more serious for people in developing countries :
The W.H.O. decision, the first to elevate diesel to the “known carcinogen” level, may eventually affect some American workers who are heavily exposed to exhaust. It is particularly relevant to poor countries, where trucks, generators, and farm and factory machinery routinely belch clouds of sooty smoke and fill the air with sulfurous particulates.
Second hand smoke is considered less dangerous, but just yesterday I wrote that it is significant negative externality that should be discouraged through taxation.
Electro magnetic radiation from mobile handsets and towers is even less dangerous according to the WHO:
Based largely on these data, IARC has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), a category used when a causal association is considered credible, but when chance, bias or confounding cannot be ruled out with reasonable confidence.
So in sum, electromagnetic radiation from mobiles is less dangerous than second-hand smoke, which is less dangerous than diesel fumes.
What do we worry about the most? What is dissuaded by punitive taxes?
2 Comments
Abu Saeed Khan
Quoting the scientists Guardian said that watching television increases risk of death from heart disease. It also warned that couch potatoes and computer users face higher risk of death from heart disease, strokes and cancer. Here is the full report.
Rohan Samarajiva
Risk is too broad a term. The WHO places different activities in different categories. 1 is riskiest; 2A is next, and so on. This is the only way to talk about risk.
LIRNEasia presents their work on AI-driven poverty mapping at a premier AI conference
Pinpointing where poverty is most severe and tracking its changes over time is crucial for helping communities effectively. However, traditional benchmarks like household surveys and national censuses often fall short—they’re expensive, slow, and infrequent.
Pioneering Big Data for Public Good: LIRNEasia featured in Oxford University Press Book
The ‘Human Development and the Data Revolution’ report, edited by Mark Graham, Sanna Ojanperä, and Eduardo López and published by Oxford University Press features LIRNEasia as a significant case study, detailing our establishment, research, challenges, and lessons learned in leveraging big data for public good in the Global South. Through the Chapter 7 “Leveraging Big Data for Public Purposes in the Global South: LIRNEasiaʼs Experiences”, the report highlights how LIRNEasia has pioneered the use of big data across the Asia-Pacific, offering valuable real-world experiences and a critical Global South perspective on data-driven development.
Key takeaways for Sri Lanka’s digital transformation: LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya’s interview with The Morning
By Nethmi Rajawasam In a recent interview with The Morning newspaper, LIRNEasia CEO Helani Galpaya discussed Sri Lanka’s progress in building digital public infrastructure, offering insights into innovative solutions and policy recommendations for enhancing government digital systems. Read the full interview to explore how Sri Lanka can leverage new approaches to achieve its digital ambitions.
Links
User Login
Themes
Social
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Contact
12, Balcombe Place, Colombo 08
Sri Lanka
+94 (0)11 267 1160
+94 (0)11 267 5212
info [at] lirneasia [dot] net
Copyright © 2025 LIRNEasia
a regional ICT policy and regulation think tank active across the Asia Pacific