Evaluation of toxicity of hydrocarbons emitted by Euro 3 and Euro 6 vehicles at idle conditions by means of equivalent toxicity coefficients

Hydrocarbons present in gases emitted by internal combustion engines are a coefficient determining the toxicity of exhaust gases. The study examined exhaust gases emitted by passenger vehicles meeting Euro 3 and Euro 6 emission standards. Equivalent toxicity coefficients were calculated for volatile organic compounds (RTER) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CER) identified by gas chromatography. Analysis of the RTER values showed that four out of the six vehicles tested exceeded the control RTER value. For two of the three Euro 6 vehicles, the CER value was higher than the control value. The study indicates that the toxicity of the mixture of hydrocarbons emitted by the tested vehicles meeting stricter emission standards is higher than in the case of older generation vehicles.