New exhaust gas measurement registers ultrafine pollutant particles for the first time
A few days ago, the European Commission presented its Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050 in order to protect the environment and improve people's health and quality of life. One of the planned measures is the introduction of stricter exhaust regulations. The limit values for pollutant emissions from vehicles have already been laid down by law. The current target value is 6x1011 particles per kilometer (Euro 6d-Temp), but only particulate matter bigger than 23 nanometers (nm) is regulated. Smaller nanoparticles, such as those emitted by new and future generations of combustion engines in even greater numbers, cannot currently be detected in exhaust emission tests. However, this fine dust is even more harmful to health since particles of this size can penetrate unhindered into the lungs.