Don't exercise in polluted air.
 

I just read an interesting article about the damage people do when they job or bike in polluted streets/traffic areas.

When you walk you breathe thru your nose. And that’s a good thing especially when you’re walking in streets with traffic that spew the black diesel stuff. In your nose you have the Celia hairs (microscopic) that filters out toxins that you inhale when you breathe.

Now when you run or bike and you’re exerting yourself, you breathe in 15 times more oxygen than when you’re walking. And people tend to breathe thru they’re mouth as well when exercising because it’s easier to get more air that way. so you get 15 more toxic stuff to your lungs, and it goes right to the lungs, without getting filtered (whatever could get filtered) by the nose.

There was studies about this that clearly showed that ppl who biked in traffic had been inhaling way too much stuff and how it affected than.

So better walk to the park and start your biking there.

And it’s ironic that those people that do the right thing to reduce pollution (i.e. biking commuters) are the ones who get to inhale the toxins they’re trying to reduce.

Everything causes cancer or hastens ones death somehow.
You can only put so many locks on your door; better to ride and be a fit corpse than locked inside and worry about the infinite things in this world that are detrimental to your health.

it goes down exponentially as you move away from the heaviest traffic. as little as 10-15 feet away from a busy road the danger is much less. although you're still breathing in toxins regardless. grid lock traffic is the worst as idling automobiles create a ton of pollution. most of us aren't exercising too long in these conditions everyday.

do you have a link to the story?

So I'm supposed to buy an oxygen tent and put my bike on a trainer inside it? No thanks.

That's just plain silly.

If it made that much difference, the Surgeon General would advise people to smoke cigarettes through their nose instead of quitting altogether. You're confusing particulates with toxic gases. Cilia don't do a damned thing for ozone, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, etc.--let alone "tar and nicotine".

I'll grant that my nose hairs do a pretty good job of filtering out insects, but the subsequent sneezing causes problems in traffic. Easier to just spit 'em out.

And last time I checked, whether I breathe through my nose or my mouth, the air still goes to right to my lungs.

Have you even read the study itself? If not why do you accept some article about it?

The only study I know of on the subject was done indoors on exercise equipment. Not what I would consider adequate.

When you breath in hard, you also breath out hard, clearing a lot of the junk out.

Much of the defensive systems are in the lungs which filter out or remove the smaller particles (provided you do not destroy them smoking). The nose only filters the largest particles that cannot get far in the lungs anyway.

I've been in Los Angeles all weekend. Nothing will stop me from biking!

I knew it! At some point, some study was going to come out and say "breathing causes cancer."

Guess we should all just get O2 tanks and strap them on instead of our camelbacks?

I live and ride in Los Angeles. I also drink diet coke every single day. I plan on riding til I'm 80 and die at 95.

Holy cow! The bike will never be a decent alternative to the car now. :rolleyes:
These studies are a tad alarmist IMHO. Besides I live in an area with a decent air quality.
I think I will keep cycling on the roads thank you.

At my age, it seems the only place I can grow hair is in my nose! I am almost capable of breathing anything now!

The irony is that the drivers sit in the pollution with their air conditioners blasting away in the belief that they are safe from the polluted atmosphere. They may be safe from the particulates, but the noxious gases -- I don't think so. At least a cyclist or jogger is moving through the air and has the option of turning off and away from the highest concentration of pollution, and is getting some positive exercise. Plus, in cold weather, do you not notice how the exhaust gases, because of their heat, *rise* up out of the path of pedestrians and riders.

But a driver trapped in gridlock, just sits there with the air conditioner intakes in direct line with the exhaust pipe from the vehicle in front as the cars inch forward. And while their heart rate might rise in frustration, it's not the good sort of heart rate rise that leads to fitness.

I think I know who is likely to be the healthier.

Good, now I can sit on the couch and veg out for the rest of my life.

I can't ride, run, lift weights, box or walk fast anywhere now because I live in Southern California and there is always some sort of pollution.

I guess I'll just each doritos on the couch from now on.
Of course, everything you eat is bad fro you in some way so I guess I'll stop eating.
But that's bad because they've linked not eating with starvation.
I'm screwed.

If the thought of breathing in all that particulate pollution really bothers you, I suppose you could try cloth surgical masks. I seen pics many times of people in Japan wearing these as they walk around town. It won't help with the noxious gas, but it might keep a lot of that solid junk out.

In the winter it shouldn't be too bad to wear, but the summer might call for a plan 'C' for those rush hour commutes home.

Cheers

OR
maybe if we ALL went cycling and exercising through the polluted air of the city we would attract more people to the "lifestyle"
in time lessening the pollution we must face. That's the best thing we could do
NOT hide away somewhere where many of the people you need to influence never visit

Right on, brother!

I think many people still think of LA as the land of perpetual smog.

The cleanup in the air over the last 25 years has been amazing. I see the mountains almost every day!

Quick! Everyone in the city move away from the air pollution.

Then the pollution will go ....................................... to where everyone moves to.

So, the solution to dying early is to stop breathing?

How about we contact the guys who sued the Tobacco companies and take on cars. If they can do it for second hand smoke, why not for exhaust fumes?

Imagine the money we could get for THAT class action suit! New bikes for everyone!

(part of the above is sarcastic - you decide which)

:lol:

yep - and it's happening all over the place.

All that needs to be said.

dont forget about the smokers & their 2nd hand smoke,hahaha!

hmmm,, i think i do all my biking in one of those cubiclized gyms with a filtered atmosphere.:rolleyes:

yeah. actually isn't inside air among the most polluted anyway? lots of particles and what-not.

I know it would be better for my health to ride through a beatufil huge park, along a bubbly creek, with birds chirping etc. Unfortunately, there are no park paths leading to places where I have to go.

(I don't see why all the sarcasm about the OP though. The only thing wrong with is that it's just too obvious to even mention it. Yes, one would kinda expect that exercising in polluted air may cause some harm. So it would be wise to stay off busy streets if you're cycling or jogging for exercise only. In fact, I think exercise bikers and joggers have suspected this for a while and do prefer trails and remote country roads to rush hour arterials.)

If we all would get out and ride then the pollution would be less, because we'd be catching it in our lungsa dn filtering out the particles. That way, over time, there will be less particles and therefore less risk! Of course global warming would increase because of the major increase in "secondhand breath" CO2.

:roflmao: