Commuting - Bad Air Harmful to Commuters

Just ran across this article today. Looks like high speed cycling makes you breath in more polluted air. Everyone's seems to tell me "slowwwwww down"??? That'll happen when I'm 90 anyway... all in good time! :rolleyes

Would anyone care to comment?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1743309,00.html
=========Article in line==================
CYCLISTS may be doing themselves more harm than good by pedalling to the office along congested roads, according to pioneering research by the British Heart Foundation.

After just one hour of cycling through traffic, tests showed microscopic particles in diesel fumes caused significant damage to blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Those cycling at high speeds in the hope of improving their fitness levels are doing themselves the most damage by breathing in a higher volume of the polluted air.

The current system of locating most cycle paths in bus lanes has the perverse effect of forcing cyclists to inhale the most dangerous air, spewed out by diesel-powered buses and taxis. The number of diesel-engined cars in Britain has also increased dramatically from 1.6m to 5m between 1994 and 2004.

The health warning will dismay the large numbers of commuters who have switched to bicycles to improve their fitness, to avoid high fuel prices or, in London, because they fear another terrorist attack on public transport.

There is no dispute in principle about the health benefits of cycling — it improves the circulation, keeps weight down and boosts overall fitness — yet the new research indicates that they could be outweighed by the polluted conditions of a busy road.

Dr David Newby, British Heart Foundation senior lecturer in cardiology at Edinburgh University, said: “Cycling through congested traffic exposes the cyclist to high levels of air pollution, especially as the exercise of cycling increases breathing and the individual’s exposure. This is bad for the heart.”

In his tests 15 healthy men cycled on exercise bikes in a chamber while being exposed to levels of diluted diesel exhaust comparable to the air they would inhale cycling along a congested city road.

The men cycled for one hour. Six hours after exposure to the fumes, damage was detected to their blood vessels. The blood vessels became less flexible and there was a reduction of a protein that breaks down blood clots in the heart. This damage is associated with the early stages of heart disease.

Diesel exhaust includes nanoparticles of carbon and a range of metals. The particulates are so tiny that experts say it is pointless for cyclists to wear masks, because the mesh cannot be fine enough to block them.

Newby said: “While they are exercising, cyclists breathe two to three times as much air as car drivers. We need to locate cycle lanes away from major roads.” Newby’s research has been submitted to the journal Circulation.

Next month the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, a government advisory body, will publish a report highlighting the risks of heart disease from traffic pollution.

Jon Ayres, chairman of the committee, says that typical urban traffic pollution poses the same risk of heart disease as passive smoking.
:rolleyes:

They banned cigarettes in a lot of restaurants and places in Amreica. Why not the same attitude toward the cars? Instead of moving the bike lanes, why don't we just git rid of cars downtown. Easier said than done I know, but our economy could be doing better anyways so why not get some projects like these going?

Hmmm... I'm glad my commute is away from dense traffic for 90%... and then most traffic is petrol not diesel. On the rare occasion that there are fumes I tend to breathe slower due to the suffocating stink.

The other factor not considered is cyclists are slower than traffic (except buses) so would perhaps cycle in pockets of reduced pollution, while motorists in heavy traffic would be in it all the time, so may end up worse??

I think tests like these are worthless for predicting actual effects in real traffic conditions unless they take air samples along the route at cycling speeds.

cliched but we all gotta go one day... the way i figure it, i'll probably acquire other health problems if i decide to take the car over the bike on my commutes... the study could be possibly true in certain neighborhoods, or may inaccurately reflect real life situations as one guy stated above...

Crap... this daily time trial push all out at 180bpm all day isn't healthy for me, I knew it!

And one of the 'solutions'--busses--makes my commute a hellish fog of diesel exhaust sometimes.

cliched but we all gotta go one day... the way i figure it, i'll probably acquire other health problems if i decide to take the car over the bike on my commutes... the study could be possibly true in certain neighborhoods, or may inaccurately reflect real life situations as one guy stated above...

Ha! Exactly what I said after reading that article...we all gotta go one day!

Wear a mask if you're -that- worried.

- Warren

BUT... theres always a butt....

If you drive the air intake of most vehicles is low enough that in traffic it's sucking exhaust from the car in front of you. Numerous studies showing that air quality on a bike is better than in a car because of our height. And cars have no filters that will reduce exhaust emmisions, CO or most of the bad stuff.

So... the real study would be to compare the physical effects of the same person commuting on the same roads, one month sitting in a car breathing exhuast, one month riding a bike breathing exhaust. Whether the benifit of the exercize outweighs the increased damage from an increased resp rate vs the possibility of decreased exposure and no excersize....

Interesting study though. I guess i'll quit doing intervals on the highway.

No real world data from the streets.
I guess the study shows that men should not cycle at high speeds on exercise bikes in a chamber while being exposed to levels of diluted diesel exhaust.

They banned cigarettes in a lot of restaurants and places in Amreica. Why not the same attitude toward the cars? Instead of moving the bike lanes, why don't we just git rid of cars downtown. Easier said than done I know, but our economy could be doing better anyways so why not get some projects like these going?

Great point.

I guess the study shows that men should not cycle at high speeds on exercise bikes in a chamber while being exposed to levels of diluted diesel exhaust.

Great. Now I have to find a new hobby! ;-)

I knew there was a reason I take it easy when I hit Midtown.

Well, at least on my morning commute through the city, there are few cars around to pollute the air. The afternoon is quite a bit more congested, unfortunately.

Now what I can't understand is why you STILL see old rustbucket cars tooling around with clouds of blue smoke coming out the back. These people should be pulled over by cops, just like they would be for chucking their McDonalds wrappers out the window.

Heh, how long before someone starts selling canisters of bottled air for cyclists to use on their commutes? The canisters would be specially formulated with extra oxygen, and perhaps scented as well. Oooooh, I can just picture a shelf at the LBS with cans marked "Strawberry field" and "Bakery" and "prarie after rain."

They banned cigarettes in a lot of restaurants and places in Amreica. Why not the same attitude toward the cars? Instead of moving the bike lanes, why don't we just git rid of cars downtown. Easier said than done I know, but our economy could be doing better anyways so why not get some projects like these going?

They're trying this in London, for example. The problem there would be that buses and (I believe) cabs are allowed in the restricted area, and those are probably the primary sources of diesel fumes in city traffic anyway.

A relatively large portion of buses around here run on natural gas. While it's still fossile fuel, the emissions are not as bad as with diesel. This combined with restricted private car access to city center might be the most feasible solution right now.

--J

Oooooh, I can just picture a shelf at the LBS with cans marked "Strawberry field" and "Bakery" and "prarie after rain."

Oh, but the cans will marked Campy and Shimano - just imagine the ensuing flame war on which is the better oxygen. :D

--J

Wear a mask if you're -that- worried.

- Warren

The article specifically says a mask won't help.

I agree with the person who said to compare a month each of driving to biking. The test isn't accurate/fair if they don't do that. Big surprise :rolleyes:

Anyway, I usually CHOOSE to ride where there is less traffic. Granted, the city I live in isn't hugemongous like NYC or something, it's a smallish city, so it may not be such an issue, but the roads that have less traffic also have better scenery! I ride as much for that as anything else. You just can't really look at stuff going by at 50+mph. I'd choose the nicer+safer route over the faster one any day.

This is one area that the US is ahead of Europe in a public health/environment kind of way. We have stricter restrictions on diesel emissions, which is part of the reason that there are also fewer diesel vehicles in the US. The Euro 5 standard is in draft though and will restrict particulate emissions even further.

I remember reading another study (sorry can't find it at the moment) that said even though cyclist inhalde pollution, car drivers inhale more since most of them are breathing in recycled air with more particles.

Our cities have buses (and police cars and cabs) that run on LNG, so no biggee getting stuck behind one. But heaven help the soul who finds themselves behind a school bus! Ack ptoo!

edit: That's "our" as in Phoenix-area.

The benefits you get from the exercise outweighs the negative effects of the pollution.

A properly tuned diesel engine runs cleaner than a properly tuned gasoline engine.

The benefits you get from the exercise outweighs the negative effects of the pollution.

A properly tuned diesel engine runs cleaner than a properly tuned gasoline engine.

I guess that means that the old Mercedes Diesel I got behind this morning was not properly tuned. ;-) I could see through the cloud of black smoke trailing it that it had some sort of REI bicycle bumper sticker on it...

They banned cigarettes in a lot of restaurants and places in Amreica. Why not the same attitude toward the cars? Instead of moving the bike lanes, why don't we just git rid of cars downtown. Easier said than done I know, but our economy could be doing better anyways so why not get some projects like these going?

Exactly what I was thinking.

Many folks stay in shape by excercising in their homes or at gyms, yet still act like travelling 10-15 miles on a bike isn't doable. I understand that people have very high opinions of their cars and the 'status' that is obtainable by driving a nice, expensive, over-the-top car. I just dont understand what happens when they sit down to weigh out the pros and cons. Where do they go wrong? Are they so reliant upon what other people think? How can people think that we've always had cars, computers, frozen dinners, microwaves, television, etc, and can't live without them? Even with all the misinformation spread, you'd think more people would be more reasonable when they actually weigh out the pros and cons of something like the automotive industry. I guess like most other things, people are driven by fear. They're afraid becuase they dont know what things would be like without cars. Why are people so afraid of change? I love change.

I would love to believe that people aren't brainwashed by the commercialism, greediness, and misinformation put out by our society and the 'powers that be,' but it simply isn't true. People argue for things that are against their beliefs, morals, or general decision making process.

Ahh... more reasons to get a bubble. I want my bubble. Someone fetch me my bubble.

I think tests like these are worthless for predicting actual effects in real traffic conditions unless they take air samples along the route at cycling speeds.

Agreed. In the test they are continually sucking in polluted air which isn't the case when cycling through actual traffic. Either way I don't live in a metro area so I'm not concerned. What cracks me up is how studies like this find ways to show how "bad" exercise can be. Give me a break. And as if motorists aren't breathing the same poluted air?

Ahh... more reasons to get a bubble. I want my bubble. Someone fetch me my bubble.


You know, I had thought about creating some kind of bubble for the bike child seat so we can go riding while its raining. Didn't think about it before, but as you, rjkresse, have pointed out, it could also work quite well for avoiding pollution. (and could act as a protective shield against objects thrown by confused/disgruntled 'cagers' :p)

Our cities have buses (and police cars and cabs) that run on LNG, so no biggee getting stuck behind one. But heaven help the soul who finds themselves behind a school bus! Ack ptoo!

edit: That's "our" as in Phoenix-area.
Agreed on the minor exhaust issue of city busses - But one of my commuting stress points is getting behind one and then needing to pass it - you can't wait behind them as they stop for so long and so often and once you pass them they never pass you again which is great, but passing them can be tricky as you are mixed up with cars doing the same.

My biggest problem with school busses is the driver they use. By far some of the worst - city bus drivers are amazingly courteous.

I've had some serious lung burn & cough after a few of my evening commutes home on hot ozone days.

Al

And as if motorists aren't breathing the same poluted air?
They are breathing it at a very much lower and shallower lung rate. The article makes mention of this.

As to the air sample, sure there are some ultra local differences along a road, but I often notice exhaust pollution (when visible and tasteable from blue smoke car) move right into my cycling path. I'd estimate the differences relative to clean are minor for cyclist head vs. car intake. Cars move stirring up air, breezes move the air, its gets quite mixed up around the bubble over a road area.

Al

No real world data from the streets.
I guess the study shows that men should not cycle at high speeds on exercise bikes in a chamber while being exposed to levels of diluted diesel exhaust.

what, like a spinning class?

No real world data from the streets.
I guess the study shows that men should not cycle at high speeds on exercise bikes in a chamber while being exposed to levels of diluted diesel exhaust.
Why is there such defensiveness against this article? - not you in particular, but in general.

Common sense tells you that the air along a city street contains pollution.
Common sense tells you that you breath more air when you are exercising hard comparing to sitting or walking.

So of course you inhale more pollutants when cycling along, near or on a city street, compared to cycling in a place with pristine air or walking/sitting on/near polluted street.

Saying that you are not getting some level of lung/cardio damage from cycling along a city street is ignoring fact and common sense.

However, what is debatable (without fact and science readily available) is how bad is it really, do the benefits of the exercise outweigh the pollution and also what is worse (long term/short term) cardio health wise, sitting in car or cycling on street - and are we comparing per mile traveled or per hour exposed?

Al

Heh, how long before someone starts selling canisters of bottled air for cyclists to use on their commutes? The canisters would be specially formulated with extra oxygen, and perhaps scented as well. Oooooh, I can just picture a shelf at the LBS with cans marked "Strawberry field" and "Bakery" and "prarie after rain."

Great. As if people don't already think we're strange for riding everywhere, now my 2007 Camelbak is going to come complete with oxygen reservoir and a face mask? With my shades and helmet, I'm going to look like a commuter from the Star Wars cantina. Oh well, they think a lot of things... Mmmmm, "Bakery". :)

We buy bottled water. Why not bottled air? People believe and purchase all sorts of weird stuff. Pure, Organic, Filtered, Rainforest Air. Mountain Air. Prairie Air. Dairy Air. Air infused with the healing power of green tea.

I give it three years before we see bottled air in either Organic Food Co-op stores or REI. Five years before it hits the Kroger shelves.

(Nothing against organic food stores or REI... that's just where I see the trend coming from.)

We buy bottled water. Why not bottled air? People believe and purchase all sorts of weird stuff. Pure, Organic, Filtered, Rainforest Air. Mountain Air. Prairie Air. Dairy Air. Air infused with the healing power of green tea.

I give it three years before we see bottled air in either Organic Food Co-op stores or REI. Five years before it hits the Kroger shelves.

(Nothing against organic food stores or REI... that's just where I see the trend coming from.)
Its all marketing of course, the true need for bottled water is minimal relative to the actual consumption.

Air/oxygen will be harder as it is not as easy to package and deliver - at least in portable form.

There are/were 'oxygen bars' a few years back, do they still exist?

Al

We buy bottled water. Why not bottled air? People believe and purchase all sorts of weird stuff. Pure, Organic, Filtered, Rainforest Air. Mountain Air. Prairie Air. Dairy Air. Air infused with the healing power of green tea.

Good point. but, uh, my uncles owned a dairy in Stockton. That was some of the foulest air you ever breathed. Another uncle owned a cheese factory, that was even fouler. Another ran a milk distribution company - the warehouse full of idling diesel trucks was sweetest by far. But I'll take 10 liters of that prairie air.

I turn the other way and hold my breath when a loud engine is coming up on my left. Hopefully that prevents me from taking the most concentrated hits of exhaust.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=5183&sku=10570&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

Good point. but, uh, my uncles owned a dairy in Stockton. That was some of the foulest air you ever breathed. Another uncle owned a cheese factory, that was even fouler. Another ran a milk distribution company - the warehouse full of idling diesel trucks was sweetest by far. But I'll take 10 liters of that prairie air.

No, no... I think "dairy air" was a joke. Say it out loud. You know, derriere.... Butt. :eek:

Slogan: Smell our dairy air!

I especially despise those exhausts curved to the right side...

Anyway, I also read somewhere that kids on the sidewalk have greater exposure to exhaust because their height makes them breath closer to the source. Gotta think about it when I'm pulling my little one in the trailer, too.

And regardless of the significance in the evidence, I just hate the smell!

Seen these?

http://www.respro.com/urbancommuting_cycling.php

I seem to be sensitive to exhaust. It doesn't take much to give me a bad headache for the whole day, fortunately I commute through quiet suburban streets and a couple of off-street MUPs. I'm going to get one of these for those times that I head into town. Has anyone tried them? do they live up to the manufacturers claims?

Seen these?

http://www.respro.com/urbancommuting_cycling.php

I seem to be sensitive to exhaust. It doesn't take much to give me a bad headache for the whole day, fortunately I commute through quiet suburban streets and a couple of off-street MUPs. I'm going to get one of these for those times that I head into town. Has anyone tried them? do they live up to the manufacturers claims?

When I cycled through London 5 years ago, a lot of cycle commuters had masks. Last year when I cycled through London I didn't see nearly as many masks. This might have been because the congestion charge reduced (surprise!) traffic jams and auto traffic levels in London to the point where the air got better and the masks weren't needed. Then again, maybe I was just cycling at the wrong time of day on my second visit.

One of the things the article pointed out was that the particles being studied were so microscopically small that they would pass right through any mask. So no, I don't think masks are the complete answer.

A few days back, the Sűddeutsche Zeitung (Munich newspaper) ran an article describing the plans of various German cities to create green zones in the centers of various cities. One possibility raised was that diesel engined cars (and presumably busses and trucks) driven in the green zones would have to be equipped with soot filters to trap the particles described in this study. Older vehicles that did not have the filters would have to be retrofitted or would not be allowed into the green zones.

I think a lot of people are missing the common sense points, which are:

At least in the city, and I'm not talking about your tiny city of half million, I'm talking like, 7-8 million:
Drivers breathe at a much lower rate.
You're sucking in 60-80 breaths a minute.
You're taking in more volume with each breath.
Modern cars have HEPA quality air filters (much better than what you'll ever effectively wear on your face).

We're all gonna die someday but you know what, if i'm living in the city, I'd rather die knowing I rode somewhere rather than sitting in traffic.

Agreed. In the test they are continually sucking in polluted air which isn't the case when cycling through actual traffic.

If you've ever been behind -007 Blue smoke screen (car that burns oil)...you'll suck in plenty.


I especially despise those exhausts curved to the right side...

-aim'n it in the bike lane -no-less-

I think if this were a problem on my commute I'd get one of these painters masks. It would just look much more menacing than that blue mask from nashbar, even with the pink filters...makes 'em wonder what you're up to.

https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/woeimages/00007097.jpg

well, the diesel exhaust problem was my one complaint during the 700 miles of my summer commuting. I ride along busy roads of Northern New Jersey and was passed by many landscaping, construction, garbage, etc trucks every day, to and from. The diesel fumes are just horrible and I often wondered about my health, as in "Is this really beneficial for me overall?" I really loved the commute, (and look forward to trying to hold a commitment to it for the rest of the year in a few weeks) but in certain areas (mine) it can be really bad. Especially since the roads are fast and I wasnt worried about sweating at all, I had the pace kicked up the whole time and was breathing heavily..

The camelback with a built in HEPA type filter and mask with hose is a cool idea.. get it designed to look especially star-wars and it might sell. . . to 10 people. : ( Yeah we'd look like freaks, but I would be very happy at the end of my rides knowing that my lungs were filled with good air the whole time. It would make the satisfaction of getting a good workout that much better knowing that I wasn't filling my bloodstream with toxic chemicals every morning.

anyway..... rant mode off

~Steve

This is one area that the US is ahead of Europe in a public health/environment kind of way. We have stricter restrictions on diesel emissions, which is part of the reason that there are also fewer diesel vehicles in the US. The Euro 5 standard is in draft though and will restrict particulate emissions even further.

Good point. It's been a few years, but I used to travel all over Europe. There were many more coal fired heating stoves in homes and apartments, in the cities. And there were a few two cycle cars on the road then. You could actually see where a two cycle car was about a minute ago by the trail of smoke. And the diesel trucks and buses !!! WOW !!! black smoke all over the place. Even a big city here is not AS bad.

Good point. It's been a few years, but I used to travel all over Europe. There were many more coal fired heating stoves in homes and apartments, in the cities. And there were a few two cycle cars on the road then. You could actually see where a two cycle car was about a minute ago by the trail of smoke. And the diesel trucks and buses !!! WOW !!! black smoke all over the place. Even a big city here is not AS bad.

In NC, the emissions test for an older car requires that it emit no more than 350 ppm hydrocarbons, 3.5% CO (I think. It's been a while since I had to have an older car tested...) In the UK, I understand that the requirement is "no visible smoke." Somewhat laxer standard, I'd say.... ;-)

I guess that means that the old Mercedes Diesel I got behind this morning was not properly tuned. ;-) I could see through the cloud of black smoke trailing it that it had some sort of REI bicycle bumper sticker on it...

nah it probably just wasn't warm yet. mine runs real smoggy ill the engine gets warmthen it is pure smiles and you'd never know (other than the tractor like engine noise) your behind a diesel.

i hoping to make the switch to cooking oil sometime though... btw, any of you got a greaser running (i got questions)?

as for pollution inhaled while biking; if you want an excuse not to ride your bike, i can think of even better ones.... :rolleyes: