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Out of control drivers aren’t the only thing city cyclists have to worry about. New research suggests that cyclists are at increased risk of lung damage because of soot.
A study compared people who walk or bike to work, to see how much black carbon they were exposed to. And cyclists had more soot in their lungs than walkers.
The research was presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Amsterdam on Sunday. [Chinedu Nwokoro et al., "Inhaled black carbon in the lower airways of London cyclists"]
Researchers at the London School of Medicine collected sputum samples from healthy non-smokers who walk or bike to see how much black carbon was in airway macrophages—a type of white blood cell that takes in foreign material. The analysis found that cyclists had 2.3 times more soot in their airway cells.
Cyclists take in more black carbon because they breathe faster and deeper than walkers. And they’re on the road, closer to exhaust fumes than sidewalk pedestrians are.
The ongoing study will address more questions about benefits and risks of healthy modes of transportation. But for now, I’d steer clear of high traffic areas.
—Amy Kraft
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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7 Comments
Add CommentEven though the best way to deal with this problem is advocating more environmentally-friendly transportation modes so that to reduce the exhaust fumes, it seems a little difficult for a marjority of people to walk or bike to work. So, I wonder is there any possibility that those who bike to work reversely turn to driving their private car? It may become a vicious circle!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWHere is the Mp3???
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe cyclists are saints, that's what we are. Not only do we:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this- reduce carbon, pollutant and noise emissions;
- increase energy independence;
- push the end of fossil fuels further into the future;
- lower overall health expenditures because we are, on average, in better shape;
- help fight traffic congestion, saving on infrastructure construction and maintenance;
- and now, we find, we vacuum clean the city air with our eager nostrils?
To slightly misquote Michael Palin, we're not just good, we're smug about it.
Why not wear face masks, then, to filter the sooty air a bit, before you let it enter your lung tissues?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe keep getting pulled over by the police... ;-)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSeriously, I minimize the problem by getting out of bed early and choosing my roads as carefully as possible to avoid biking in heavy traffic.
A side benefit is that I often get to see the sunrise, which is a very good mood enhancer with no bad side effects.
Gasoline engines do not normally generate black carbon, diesels do. Stay way from trucks, buses and other diesel-powered vehicles and you should be OK.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI predict that the internal combustion engine will be a component of the genetic bomb
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