Minimise breathing fumes during commuting

[ComradeSpear]

I commute to work and sometimes I can smell vehicle fumes. I was thinking of wearing a mask when approaching heavy traffic areas as there isn't a bike path for an alternative. I'll be using a bandanna or similar.

Anyone got any recommendations or techniques to minimise breathing such fumes?

[Mitch750]

Yeh it is definitely horrible to breathe the var fumes! Especially if the car is old and the catalytic converter is shot

I would even go as far as using those hospital masks.

Keen to see what other people say

[Cheesewheel]

You can get masks designed with cycling in mind. They have a valve that blows out easily and an intake that goes through a small replaceable filter. They are more popular in european places since the hot weather makes them a bit too much to bear. I bought one with the plan for using when riding in india but found them too much bother to use.

[warthog1]

This is something that concerns me also.
What to do about it?
Minimise exposure by choosing lightly trafficked routes and routes with less heavy diesel engined vehicles I reckon. There is evidence of harmful effects of diesel particulate emissions in particular and as the particles are very small. I'd expect any respirator effective at removing them would be very restrictive, bulky or both.

As we breathe, the toxic gases and small particles of diesel exhaust are drawn into the lungs. The microscopic particles in diesel exhaust are less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and are small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs, where they contribute to a range of health problems.

In its comprehensive assessment of diesel exhaust, OEHHA analyzed more than 30 studies of people who worked around diesel equipment, including truck drivers, railroad workers and equipment operators. The studies showed these workers were more likely to develop lung cancer than workers who were not exposed to diesel emissions. These studies provide strong evidence that long-term occupational exposure to diesel exhaust increases the risk of lung cancer. Using information from OEHHA's assessment, ARB estimates that diesel-particle levels measured in California's air in 2000 could cause 540 "excess" cancers (beyond what would occur if there were no diesel particles in the air) in a population of 1 million people over a 70-year lifetime. Other researchers and scientific organizations, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, have calculated cancer risks from diesel exhaust that are similar to those developed by OEHHA and ARB.

Exposure to diesel exhaust can have immediate health effects. Diesel exhaust can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, and it can cause coughs, headaches, lightheadedness and nausea. In studies with human volunteers, diesel exhaust particles made people with allergies more susceptible to the materials to which they are allergic, such as dust and pollen. Exposure to diesel exhaust also causes inflammation in the lungs, which may aggravate chronic respiratory symptoms and increase the frequency or intensity of asthma attacks.

Diesel engines are a major source of fine-particle pollution. The elderly and people with emphysema, asthma, and chronic heart and lung disease are especially sensitive to fine-particle pollution. Numerous studies have linked elevated particle levels in the air to increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, asthma attacks and premature deaths among those suffering from respiratory problems. Because children's lungs and respiratory systems are still developing, they are also more susceptible than healthy adults to fine particles. Exposure to fine particles is associated with increased frequency of childhood illnesses and can also reduce lung function in children.

Like all fuel-burning equipment, diesel engines produce nitrogen oxides, a common air pollutant in California. Nitrogen oxides can damage lung tissue, lower the body's resistance to respiratory infection and worsen chronic lung diseases, such as asthma. They also react with other pollutants in the atmosphere to form ozone, a major component of smog.

http://oehha.ca.gov/public_info/facts/dieselfacts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Mulger bill]

This is something that concerns me also. ...

Shhhh! It's all dirty tobaccos fault, industrial and vehicular emissions are as gaseous nectar of the gods.

[AlexHuggs]

The good news is that the extended life expectancy associated with cycling accounts for pollution. But yeah, don't know a good solution apart from avoiding the area (I'm not convinced a face mask/bandana will do much good).

[Mitch750]

Buy an electric front wheel so they dont pass you

[trailgumby]

Major bugbears for me are old cars, most motorbikes, and worst of all are two-stroke scooters. Besides having aoalling roadcraft and road manners around bikes, their dreadful little engines are inefficient and throw out huge amounts of unburnt fuel and oil into the air. They should be much more stringent with them on pollution controls. If that led to them being banned or significantoy increased in price that would not bther me at all.

Don't run across that many diesels.

Most of the time I can get by by leaving a 3 or 4 bike lengths space between me and the exhaust, instead of getting up close like you might in a car. You don't have to be far away for the particles to be significantly dispersed.

I don't have any citations, but I do remember reading reports of studies that seemed to indicate cyclists are actually better off than car occupants, despite breathing harder, as our air intakes (nose and mouth) are higher and further away than car ventilation intakes. Particulate density inside buses and cars is much higher than that experienced by cyclists, apparently.

But that's if you *have* to ride in dense traffic. There are only a few spots where I'm riding in heavy traffic, the rest of the time volumes are quite light or i have a good amount of distance between e and the closest exhaust pipe.

[ComradeSpear]

I find buses, old vans and some motorbikes spew a lot of fumes. It's the worst when they're standstill and accelerate leaving a though plume to intake.

The air quality seems to be reasonable according to the EPA but surely close to the traffic that reading will be higher. Anyway, I try to commute on bike paths and ride the back road as much as I can.... Safer, cleaner and less noise. Just thought about using a mask when going through congested traffic areas

[warthog1]

industrial and vehicular emissions are as gaseous nectar of the gods.

[softy]

I realise you can smell fumes when riding, but there was a study done some years ago, and it was about kids riding, walking or being driven to school. It was found in this study that when vehicles drive down the road it is like a tunnel of fumes passing through every car which follows the other.

It was found, far less fumes were inhaled riding or walking.

The conclusion was it was much safer to allow your kids to ride or walk to school. The total risk to the child was greater in the car.

i will see if i can track down the article.........

[trailgumby]

This is something that concerns me also. ...

Shhhh! It's all dirty tobaccos fault, industrial and vehicular emissions are as gaseous nectar of the gods.

You sound like one of those mischevous sods that farts poisonous gases in elevators

[Mulger bill]

This is something that concerns me also. ...

Shhhh! It's all dirty tobaccos fault, industrial and vehicular emissions are as gaseous nectar of the gods.

You sound like one of those mischevous sods that farts poisonous gases in elevators

Is there any other valid reason for eating burritos?

[eeksll]

I realise you can smell fumes when riding, but there was a study done some years ago, and it was about kids riding, walking or being driven to school. It was found in this study that when vehicles drive down the road it is like a tunnel of fumes passing through every car which follows the other.

It was found, far less fumes were inhaled riding or walking.

The conclusion was it was much safer to allow your kids to ride or walk to school. The total risk to the child was greater in the car.

i will see if i can track down the article.........

I'd like to read that too. From memory I read the opposite, i.e walkers get more fumes cause they take longer.