kmcrawford111

I don't have to sit directly behind a car or truck very often (perhaps once a day), but when I do I might turn my head or cover my face a little so I'm not so directly breathing in the exhaust.

If this thread really hits on anything it is the insanity of car-obsession - that we can't even bike down a road without worrying about getting cancer from doing it. It would be nice to see one percent of the effort aimed at second-hand smoke being directed at exhaust. The problem is, all of the anti-smoking nannies want to drive cars too. Apparently, driving is more important than everything else. We live in a ****ed up world.

El Pelon

Yep. On Tuesday, after work, I threw my panniers on my LHT to run down the hill to the super for some milk, yogurt, and dog food for the following morning. It was already dark out, but I had on my blinky, a good headlight, and a reflective sash. (Probably overkill, but I live in a pretty rural area with two lane winding roads, and I don't want to take chances.) Anyways, the neighbor was outside watering the lawn (despite the fact we are in a drought ) and he says to me, "Don't you worry about getting run over and killed?"

I bristled a bit, but the kids were within earshot, and I didn't want to start something NEW with him, so I just waived, and went on my way. As I was riding, though, I started thinking about the risk of this way of life. I'm sure there are multiple ways to slice and dice the numbers, but it would be interesting to see if anybody has done any sort of statistical analysis to determine whether riding on a daily basis actually increases or decreases someone's projected life span. Obviously, on the plus side, there is the fitness issue. On the downside, the risk of "catastrophic injury or death" (or so says my owners manual).

My guess is it comes out on the side of the cyclist, so long as (s)he is sensible, wears a helmet and obeys the law. For me, the cycling is only part of the equation. When I started riding again, I started eating better, which led to me getting stronger, which helped me ride more, which made me want to start training again, etc.

kmcrawford111

+1. And note that most of the perceived danger actually has nothing to do with cycling, but has everything to do with cars. A local newspaper did an article on my commuting and the response was overwhelmingly postive, but many expressed concerned about getting hit by a car. So the solution is... to drive one of those cars?? This selfish, "me first and only" line of thinking has clearly been corrosive to society. If we were all riding bikes instead of Dodge Durangos, I doubt we'd be seeing 40,000+ killed yearly as we do with cars.

With that being said, it is also important for cyclists to make proper preparations and ride responibility as you say.

Caribou2001

Not to derail the thread, but speaking of those masks.... I got one more for the cold than the pollution and as it was 4 below this morning I used it for the first time. Well, it fogged my safety glasses something fierce. Any secrets to avoiding that when using one?

JeffS

Those wouldn't have made my top three.

closetbiker

Multiple studies have been done that show commuter cyclists live longer than their motorized brethren.

For as much as people worry about trauma, it's poor health that gets them in the end. Only 4% of deaths are due to accidents, most of the rest are from conditions that cycling helps to prevent.

When trauma does lead to a death, it's most often in a MVA.

Deaths to cyclists are about on par with deaths from falling out of bed or choking on food and further down the list of dying from falling down the stairs.

meteparozzi

Make sure that metal piece at the nose bridge is snug and allow a little gap at the bottom. That usually helps.

uke

+1. Selfishness is the root cause of many ills in our society.

Sixty Fiver

If you ride in a heavily populated urban environment you are going to be breathing air that is not as clean as the air in outlying areas but will still inhale far less carcinogens that the folks in those cages because they are trapped and the air circulation is poor.

Cars themselves also hold pollutants in their upholstery and carpet.

I work as a messenger and the air quality downtown is still far better than the air quality was at the machine shop I was working at... working there was akin to spending time in Mexico city where the air can be quite toxic.

I-Like-To-Bike

Good idea! With a lead dust lining, it will work twice as put the OP's mind to rest!

Kee-Rice; what some people strain their brain to worry about!

Motofish

this is less a worry about throat cancer, but more on lung petrification.

I do a lot of unavoidable exercise in the desert where windblown clay/silt/other random crap in the air is suspended nearly year-long. Does anyone have experience with the Sportsmask? https://groupweston.com/mu2.asp

JMRobertson

The only time I'd consider wearing a mask like that is if I biked by fields they were spraying with pesticide on a regular (and unavoidable) basis.

Randochap

No, it's not and yes it is.

Wearing a helmet will decrease your chances of becoming a vegetable, just because you toppled over while trying to impress everyone doing a track stand at the light and hit your head on the curb.

Similarly, you can take care of the obvious links to oral cancer by quitting smoking and any other behaviours linked by science to oral cancers.

Let me tell you, as a 2-time "survivor" of oral cancer, that you do not want to go where I have been and where I now sit, with the after-effects of cancer treatment. I don't wear a mask or take many other precautions when I cycle (avs. 8500 km/py) If a survivor chooses to wear a mask or any other device, or stand on their heads drinking wheat grass, fearing a return to the agonies of cancer treatment, then I fully understand their choice.

I would say walk a mile in their shoes, but I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

unterhausen

my understanding is that doing damage to your lungs is not out of the question in very polluted areas. I really doubt that there is much of a risk of throat cancer.

closetbiker

equipment that is suspect in it's effectiveness

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_helmet

CTC position paper on helmets:

Evidence for the efficacy of helmets in preventing serious injury is contradictory and inconclusive...Overall, according to CTC, the UK's national cyclists organisation, "the evidence currently available is complex and full of contradictions, providing at least as much support for those who are sceptical as for those who swear by them."

and from the UK Department of Transport

https://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety...?page=11#a1050

The purpose of this section is to summarise the range of arguments that have been deployed in the bicycle helmet debate and to consider some of the ways in which this debate has been conducted. A selection of papers from the late 1980s/2002 were chosen for analysis; largely editorials and opinion pieces with associated correspondence from the main journals in the field together with reports from various interest groups and associations...

In terms of tone, the bicycle helmet debate can best be described as sour and tetchy. Neither side seems willing to concede that there can be alternative points of view. Both sides can descend into language that reflects little credit for either, for instance, expressions such as irresponsible zealots who oppose legislation find their counterpart in helmet advocates dismissed as do gooders and mandarins of health promotion. This can be disappointing for those seeking enlightenment from the debate. A notable exception to this seems to be the contribution by Unwin (1996) who steps back from the details to discuss the overall criteria upon which the debate should be founded...

Key points

The pro-bicycle helmet group base their argument overwhelmingly on one major point: that there is scientific evidence that, in the event of a fall, helmets substantially reduce head injury.

The anti-helmet group base their argument on a wider range of issues including: compulsory helmet wearing leads to a decline in bicycling, risk compensation theory negates health gains, scientific studies are defective, the overall road environment needs to be improved.

The way in which the debate has been conducted is unhelpful to those wishing to make a balanced judgement on the issue.

Caleab

When I'm in line behind any vehicle, I try to position myself where I can be behind the city buses. Those are my favorite. If you work on it, you can track stand close enough that you can actually just leech right onto the pipe (if you also have the buses with the elevated tailpipes) and breath deep.
It's what I expect on my rides and it only makes it worthwhile. When I fail to get my inhales of exhaust... I just get home, disrobe and lay in the middle of the floor in the fetal position. I usually mumble and drool at the same time.