Assessing Health Concerns & Obstacles to Diesel Exposure Reduction in Vermont Diesel Vehicle Operators

Introduction: Reducing diesel vehicle idling is an important legislative and environmental issue, as diesel emissions have been linked to myriad adverse health outcomes, including lung cancer, asthma, premature births, and abnormal testosterone production. Objectives: To assess the health concerns of Vermont diesel vehicle drivers, both generally and specific to diesel exhaust exposure; to assess whether they have been educated about potential adverse health effects of diesel exposure, whether they are satisfied with their understanding, and the sources of information they respect.; to identify self-reported obstacles to idling reduction, and to assess whether drivers would follow employer-set idling reduction policies. Methods: A convenience sample of 67 diesel vehicle drivers at 7 fleets in the Greater Burlington and Rutland areas were surveyed before morning delivery routes. Results: 75% of drivers have not been educated about the potential harmful effects of diesel exposure. Only 15% of drivers report being “very satisfied” with their understanding of this health issue. Fisher's Exact Test was used to assess associations between whether health information had been provided by the employer and the extent of health concerns, or between age and health concern; no statistically significant trends were found (α= 0.5, 2-tailed). Drivers are most likely to respect their physicians and employers as the “most credible” source of health information about diesel exposure, and 2/3 of drivers would “almost always” or “always” follow employer-set idling reduction policies. Conclusions: Driver health education initiatives, physician advocacy, and employer-set idling reduction policies may be important avenues to address idling behavior.