Pollution from trucks and buses costs Australians $6.2bn in health effects each year, study finds

A study has found the health effects of exposure to heavy vehicle exhaust costs Australians about $6.2bn each year, with proximity to truck routes increasing the risks. Photograph: David Crosling/AAP

Air pollution from trucks and buses is costing Australians about $6.2bn each year due to the health effects of exposure to vehicle exhaust, a University of Melbourne study has found.

Like cigarette smoke, heavy vehicle exhaust is a mixture of tiny toxic carbon particles and gases that cause inflammation when inhaled, and is associated with a wide range of respiratory, heart and other health impacts, according to Dr Clare Walter a health and policy researcher and an author of the study.