Starting June 1, 1999, all diesel-powered vehicles are
required to use only low-sulfur fuel (0.05%). The old
regulations permitted a maximum of 0.2% sulfur.
Director of the Infrastructure Ministry Yaakov Katz has
stated that the refineries have been instructed to
manufacture the new diesel oil ("solar") in sufficient
quantities, however the amount will be supplemented by means
of imports, if necessary. In the past, the refineries
announced that they would be unable to supply the required
quantities due to limitations on their manufacturing
capacity. Katz stressed that according to the new regulations
it is forbidden to use low-sulfur diesel oil for purposes
other than transportation.
According to estimates of Infrastructure Ministry experts,
the use of low-sulfur diesel oil will result in a marked
decrease in urban air pollution. Experts also claim that low-
sulfur fuel improves the functioning of diesel motors,
although it will cost 6 agorot more per liter than the
other fuel, which will continue to be used in heating and
industry.
The Egged Corporation announced that it has been using low-
sulfur fuel since the beginning of Iyar.
In Europe, there is already a strict regulation, known as
Euro 2, for the prevention of air pollution. In America, too,
strict regulations to curb vehicle-emitted air pollution are
in effect. These regulations compel car manufacturers to
alter the fuel compositions used by their cars in order to
significantly decrease air pollution. The American regulation
applies to all types of fuel, both gasoline and diesel. Car
manufacturers are currently required by law to make
particular technological changes to adapt their cars to the
new form of fuel and to the new pollution prevention
methods.
According to tests conducted by the experts of the
Environmental Protection Agency, lower levels of sulfur will
enable the implementation of new technological means for
treating pollution. The result will be a 75% drop in the
discharge of impurities from passenger cars motorized by
gasoline. The discharge of impurities from diesel-powered
cars will decrease by 95%.
Experts believe that long-term exposure to pollution caused
by diesel oil is liable to spur the development of lung
cancer, as well as to damage the respiratory system and cause
changes in the working of the immunization system.
These phenomena are liable to become even more serious with
the increased use of diesel-powered cars. According to one
estimate, by the year 2010, if there are no strict
regulations, 70% of the particles emitted from vehicles will
come from diesel motors.
In Israel, the Man, Nature and Justice organization has
demanded that the government establish a warning system in
the Dan region to caution against periodic instances of
serious air pollution. These signals will be able to alert
especially sensitive people, such as asthmatics, to the
existence of high pollution levels. In serious cases, it
would also be possible to prohibit the entry of cars into
urban centers, something which has already been done in a
number of cities throughout the world.
