A recently published study assessed diesel exhaust particulate matter (DEPM) emissions from two midsize domestic generators operating in Beirut and examined their cytotoxicity in vitro.
Results showed that 87% of emitted particles are quasi-ultrafine (<0.33 microns), meaning they can not only reach the deepest regions of the lungs but also get absorbed into the bloodstream and affect distant organs.
The study also revealed high emissions of a wide range of highly potent substances, including genotoxic heavy metals like titanium; WHO-classified carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; and known endocrine-disrupting compounds and cancer promoters like dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (all classified as persistent organic pollutants by the Stockholm Convention), marking their ability to penetrate the food chain.
These alarming findings were published in Atmospheric Pollution Research (Elsevier) as part of an investigation led by Dr. Hassan R. Dhaini, toxicologist and associate professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), in collaboration with Dr. Wassim Abou-Kheir, professor at the Faculty of Medicine at AUB; Dr. Charbel Afif, professor at Université Saint-Joseph; and other scientists from The Cyprus Institute and Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale in Dunkirk, France.
These pollutants can have serious and wide-ranging health effects in humans due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity, including increased risks of lung cancer, lymphoma, and other cancers; reproductive dysfunction, reduced fertility, altered sexual development, and developmental toxicity, particularly low birth weight, impaired neurodevelopment, and congenital malformations.
Findings from this investigation highlight the urgent need to implement Law 78/2018 (Air Quality Protection Law) and all related environmental regulations, notably ministerial decisions and circulars issued by the Ministry of Environment under the previous cabinet, based on the principle of continuity in public utility management. In particular, this includes Circular 4/1 dated August 1, 2024 (Compliance with Environmental Conditions in the Operation of Commercial and Domestic Generators, which took this study's findings into account) and Decision 16/1 dated February 4, 2022 (Emission Limit Values for Air Pollutants), until the total phase-out of the diesel generator scourge.