[riedel]

This a very generic statement that IMHO does not point us in the right direction: NO2 concentration can be linked to a statistically lower lifespan. But it will affect vulnerable people over proportionally (so it does not decrease all of our lifespans) and it is also an effective statical proxy for other traffic pollution. (Also with rigged diesels concentration has been going down and life expectancy is increasing also for other reasons)

Unlike toxic stuff in food, regulations do not try to limit the exposure of an individual but to take action based and prioritize measures based on the statistical severity to the whole population. I do not really think that Dieselgate (while being deeply unethical many ppl kind of knew that the regulation had holes like a cheese) really made that much of a difference if you look at the situation globally. Access to clean air and water is a privilege and all rich nations and their citizens have a responsibility. It is far to easy to always just point at some rigged exhaust cleaning systems in cars. The problem is far more complex (also electric cars will produce emissions)