Originally Posted by sbhikes
Do you thinking cycling in traffic harms your lungs? It seems sometimes that I have to breathe a lot more exhaust, especially diesel exhaust which I find extremely irritating. It seems like I cough a lot in the mornings, too. How about you? Do you think cycling is harming your lungs at all?
It feels like the exhaust robs my lungs, but I've read that even when you think you're breathing bad air, it's actually better than what you'd get had you been riding in a car in the same place.
If I ride really hard when it's cold, I often cough hard enough that I wind up spitting out gunk or part of my breakfast. However, if I don't push myself, there's no problem. Whatever the case, I doubt I'm hurting my lungs since activities that leave others winded often don't even get me breathing hard.