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?

genec

While some air may be bad... exercising offsets a lot of that by simply moving more air around overall. So in the end, the hurt is offset by the gain.

jwc

I sit at a service desk all day, breathing in exhaust fumes from gas and diesel engines.

The air I breathe when riding, clears my lungs out. Even when there is traffic, it is better than what I experience all day long.

DataJunkie

Far better than when I smoked 2 packs a day.

galen_52657

Air inside any building is far worse than air outside.

Blue Order

Yes, it's always been a problem, and a concern.

joejack951

I happen to breath very little diesel exhaust on my commute nor on most of my other rides. Those big trucks rarely venture onto the ultra-narrow roads that I ride every day. My lungs have never been better.

AndrewP

This is a reason for going to the front of the line at traffic lights.

dauphin

smoking for 30 years pretty much makes everything else moot

banerjek

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.

Cyclaholic

Is this an assumption on your part, or do you have something to back it up? Not trying to be adversarial, I'm just interested to get to the truth because I hate riding in traffic primarily because the exhaust fumes often make me feel sick. I do a lot better on MUPs and quiet back streets.

markhr

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

fordfasterr

Awesome quote !!!!!!!

=)

Roughstuff

Not only have I been cycling for years, but i often train for cycling in the off season by running (scootin' is more accurate) stair laps for 40 minutes per day. I have lung capacity 40% greater than the average guy my age. Helped on my world tour when i got over 15,000 feet in the Andes.

roughstuff

Air

*cough*

sbhikes

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.

Air

When I'm riding around smoke/exhaust it definately irritates me. I'm a tuba player too so while my lungs are in decent shape they still get irritated easily.

Eli_Damon

Have you seen "Return of the Scorcher" by Ted White? It's a documentary about bicycle culture in many different countries. One of the first scenes is of two cyclists in Los Angeles who are wearing filter masks. Pretty scary.

CrosseyedCrickt

This article should be enlightening.
The second time I've posted it.

fenester

When there's a smog advisory in a city, they tell people to try to minimize their activity. I'm not saying they're right or that it directly applies.

Diesel vehicles are allowed a much much higher level of pollution (obviously) because alot of the pollution drops out of the air pretty quickly. But if you're riding around those vehicles I bet you're getting alot of that stuff before it settles out.

Still, I'm with the folks above who think it's better to be getting the exercise. If you don't smoke, the cillia (?) in your lungs probably haven't given up the fight and they'll march all that gunk back out.

edit: having read that article, uh... nevermind.

here and there

If anything my lung capacity has increased since I started cycling, which has greatly helped my asthma/bronchitis issues. Every now and then I'll get a good whiff of exhaust, but most of my riding is done on fairly empty roads and bikeways so it is not a big issue.

I-Like-To-Bike

My lungs seem to be OK. Bicycling can be good for your lungs. Picture evidence provided.

rando

my lungs are great from screaming back at motorists.

saraflux

well, add breathing to the list of things i should be afraid of.
jeez.

LittleBigMan

Yes. What I love is drivers who pass me smoothly without excess acceleration, it's not necessary to wait until passing and then floor it, dumping all their pulverized gunk into my lungs. Furthermore, ground-level ozone is a far more dangerous health hazard than anyone wants to admit. Look at the way we ban smokers from puffing in public places while the ozone is already so bad it really doesn't matter much.

It really does make a difference to take an out-of-the-way route when traffic is bad.

I'm really not taking sides out of favoritism, smog and car exhaust have been shown to be harmful.

But I have to add that giving up cycling would not be good for my health, and that I'd be exposed to smog anyway. I just do what I can to intelligently minimize my exposure to it. Like it or not, a separated bike path can sometimes make a difference if it's not next to the road, but so can alternate routes, perhaps even more so. That's why I like the shaded neighborhoods in summer.