I'm allergic to coffee fumes. A good strong cup of coffee in my cubicle can make me acutely nauseous. I even lost a job for lost productivity when sharing a 6 foot worktable enclosed by glass walls with a co-worker who was highly exciteable and a heavy coffee drinker. I know it's not caffiene, but one or more of the alkyloids. But I've never noticed phlegm as part of the illness.

Your trike may also contribute to it, with greater proximity to tail pipes than the usual upright bike.

Bird-keeper's lung? What kinds of birds to you have?

the air inside an automobile has proven to be far more toxic than the air outside of an automobile.

INTERIOR AIR QUALITY: Plastic components contain chemical additives that off-gas and contribute to "new car smell." When inhaled these chemicals can cause strong allergic reactions as well as serious long-term health problems.

Auto Interior Air Study (http://www.ecocenter.org/sustainableplastics/)


given that both cyclists and auto drivers share the same outside air, albeit somewhat air conditioned for cars (basically cooled off and slightly filtered- anyone ever change the filters in their car air vents?) I'd say the cyclist can breathe deep without worry in comparison.

so those of you cycling with masks might suggest them for your friends and love ones who drive- they're in far more danger of toxicity than you are.

"Our research shows that autos function as chemical factories releasing toxins before we even turn on the ignition," said Jeff Gearhart, director of the Clean Cars Campaign.

I think my lung capacity is fine. I just feel like I cough a lot more than I used to.

Perhaps I'm just allergic to coffee (I feel the phlegm coming on after the coffee). Or maybe I'm getting bird-keeper's lung. I do know I really am bothered by diesel exhaust and the exhaust of old pickup trucks. I try to hold my breath when they are around, including in the car. I'll roll down the window even in the rain if there are diesel fumes in my car. I wait until I'm past the truck, of course.

Do you take your coffee with cream? Sugar? Dairy increases phlegm. So does sugar. I love the word "phlegm." Even the spelling and gross combination of unlikely letters makes it look gross. Phlegm phlegm phlegm.

My lungs are great. Between having been trained in opera, years of fencing, and now cycling, I have some nice capacity. My favorite byproduct of cycling is how much more powerful I can make my vocals at karaoke. Aah, karaoke. </random tangent>

I'm not terribly concerned about pollution. It's going to always be there, plus, I tend to ride at odd times of the day/night and take the MUP as often as possible. There's a MUP which connects one side of town with the other and is so nice, accessible, and wonderful to ride on.

I used to smoke. I smoked while working as a carpenter cutting cedar, the dust of which is said to be among the worst for you. I used to have days where my lungs felt coated with the stuff and my sinuses would ache.

I still smoked when I later went to live in Taiwan, which is one of the most polluted countries on earth. I rode a bicycle for a year, and just know that I did some serious damage to my lungs. People used to joke that smokers in Taiwan had healthier lungs than non-smokers because at least smokers were sucking air through a filter!

I've been a non-smoker for about a year now. Last year my lungs would burn a bit and get bronchially uncomfortable when riding at temperatures under 15 degrees (59F). This winter I've been riding in single digit temps and breathing hard, and I feel great. I only ride in the countryside, which, after reading that scary article, is a relief. Aside from the occasional hog or chicken farm, and the occasional times when they spray stuff on the fields (that does make me a bit nervous, though), the rural southwestern Ontario air I'm riding through is pristine.

I feel kinda lucky that way.

Birdkeeper's lung. I have a U2 (Umbrella Cockatoo). Dustiest bird ever. I also have 6 other parrots. I'm sure they will all die of lung cancer too. But I love 'em.

i sprinted to work yesterday and when i got there my lungs were on fire! it was only 2 degrees celsius, but i guess it was cold enough to be a real shock to the system.

In recent days, I have come to enjoy the smell of car exhaust. That's odd...

BTW, after reading this thread, I got all paranoid. A quick Google turned up a site that sells urban cycling masks:

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

I just ordered one, so if anyone is curious, I'll let you know how it works. What really sucks about the Men's Health article was that I had JUST been thinking about whether or not my mouth breathing when working was going to bite me in the *****.

right now, my lungs are congested. I picked up a code.

the minor damage caused by the fumes is far, far outweighed by the increased lung capacity, better cardiovascular fitness and general health benefits of cycling True. Taking lots of antioxidants doesn't hurt, either.

Birdkeeper's lung. I have a U2 (Umbrella Cockatoo). Dustiest bird ever. ...

One of my former coworkers has a gorgeous pure white U2; I concur regarding the dust.

Birdkeeper's lung. I have a U2 (Umbrella Cockatoo). Dustiest bird ever. I also have 6 other parrots. I'm sure they will all die of lung cancer too. But I love 'em.
Okay, I got curious. (we've got six parrots of our own, plus a varying number of foster birds) From digging around a bit, it's beginning to sound like parrots aren't much of a problem! And according to my doctor, birdkeeper's lung is related to the decomposition emmisions of large amounts of bird droppings. He says pigeons and chickens are the big culprits, since it's possible to let the mess pile up in a coop until it's stinky and decomposing.
The studies seem to vary quite a bit due to smoking, and because most of the studies lump hobby birds like chickens and pigeons in with the living room birds. The British Medical Journal has a couple of articles that quantify or at least question those conditions:

Pet Birds and Risk of Lung Cancer in Sweden: A case-control study (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/313/7067/1236?ijkey=95124b3d0de44102db3cbf37f5919afc2d7cfceb&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha)

Pet Birds and Lung Cancer: Now no evidence of a link (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7067/1218?ijkey=6ca96e05cd36f19b5a6f1607b17fc0a497234619&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha)

Okay, I got curious. (we've got six parrots of our own, plus a varying number of foster birds) From digging around a bit, it's beginning to sound like parrots aren't much of a problem! And according to my doctor, birdkeeper's lung is related to the decomposition emmisions of large amounts of bird droppings. He says pigeons and chickens are the big culprits, since it's possible to let the mess pile up in a coop until it's stinky and decomposing.
The studies seem to vary quite a bit due to smoking, and because most of the studies lump hobby birds like chickens and pigeons in with the living room birds. The British Medical Journal has a couple of articles that quantify or at least question those conditions:

Pet Birds and Risk of Lung Cancer in Sweden: A case-control study (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/313/7067/1236?ijkey=95124b3d0de44102db3cbf37f5919afc2d7cfceb&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha)

Pet Birds and Lung Cancer: Now no evidence of a link (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/313/7067/1218?ijkey=6ca96e05cd36f19b5a6f1607b17fc0a497234619&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha)
Good to hear my beloved birds won't give me lung cancer. I'm down to 6 birds now. One parakeet died on Christmas day. One down, 6 to go... (just kidding).

I also play tuba, so I've got great lung capacity, but i think i've picked up a case of pneumonia recently, and the cough is killing me.

I think mine are fine. I did have to breath in some nasty **** a while back though. Some guys Ford Explorer caught on fire near the engine and liquid fire was dripping out the bottom of the car. I was waiting at the red light and the big cloud of pitch black smoke went right through me. I started gaging, it smelled or burnt rubber and death. Thats the worst i have ever experienced.

Here's the deal. In a car you breathe more exaust because you generally drive directly behind other cars all the time.

Unless you regularly make a practice of drafting behind 30mph SUV's (one can dream, can't they) then the air you breath whilst riding your bike is generally cleaner than the air you breath driving your car.