Cyclists and air pollution
#26
Cycle Year Round
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Interesting conclusion. I think a lot would depend on routes and time on the road.
I rarely encounter places where I can ride faster than vehicles. On a good day, I might ride half the speed of a car. Less active, maybe 1/3 the speed of a car. So, that means I'm outside 2x to 3x as long.
Passing cars on the right can also lead to problems such as right hooks and cars pulling out in front of a person.
I'm not sure how the AC and air recirculation works in cars, but it would be easy enough to incorporate HEPA filters into the AC systems, as long as divers were willing to clean or change the filters periodically.
Of course, I avoid the freeways as much as possible. I like to do loops in my rides, but incorporate less busy roads and greenways as much as possible/practical. Thus, I can avoid a fair amount of vehicle smoke, but would still be exposed to environmental smoke. Forest Fire smoke?
I rarely encounter places where I can ride faster than vehicles. On a good day, I might ride half the speed of a car. Less active, maybe 1/3 the speed of a car. So, that means I'm outside 2x to 3x as long.
Passing cars on the right can also lead to problems such as right hooks and cars pulling out in front of a person.
I'm not sure how the AC and air recirculation works in cars, but it would be easy enough to incorporate HEPA filters into the AC systems, as long as divers were willing to clean or change the filters periodically.
Of course, I avoid the freeways as much as possible. I like to do loops in my rides, but incorporate less busy roads and greenways as much as possible/practical. Thus, I can avoid a fair amount of vehicle smoke, but would still be exposed to environmental smoke. Forest Fire smoke?
That "new car smell" is a toxic soup. Gee, I wonder why I haven't seen any extensive studies into these toxins and their effect on people. I know that Marin Co. has paradoxically high cancer rates among some groups, and this is within a region with four low-cancer cities. Here we have a high wealth demographic that tends to have access to quality foods and water and high exercise rates and generally tends to embrace healthy habits. So why the cancer spikes? Well, I'm guessing that the average vehicle age in Marin Co. is much lower than the national average, and even lower than the California and Bay Area average. The newer the car, the higher the concentration of VOC offgassing is my supposition.
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Aside from this, I found the OP write up encouraging. I always thought I was sucking up more toxic soup than people in cars.
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However, both solar and wind are now cheaper than coal. Greenhouse gases aside, it doesn't make economic sense to burn coal for power any more, in many cases. Here's two U.S. power companies deciding it's cheaper to tear down old coal plants and replace with solar than to keep those old things running. https://qz.com/1490832/two-utilities-promised-to-go-100-carbon-free-last-week/
And here's a pretty great overview of our energy choices, thinking about emissions and other practical concerns. https://kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu/eve...ricity-systems
Last edited by rseeker; 12-20-18 at 11:20 PM.
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The bell curve for heavier than air pollution is steeper than a 50% level at the right of the road. Closer to about two standard divisions or slightly more.
Canyon effects raise the pollution levels for everyone but still follow a bell curve. It does not reach an across the board equal concentration.
Canyon effects raise the pollution levels for everyone but still follow a bell curve. It does not reach an across the board equal concentration.
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