It is well know that there are many health benefits associated with cycling. Whether you want to lose weight or tone up your muscles, cycling can help you get fit - it can also help to strengthen your bones, protect your joints, lower stress levels and reduce blood pressure. Despite all these positives, there are risks for cyclists, particularly those that live in the city. 37 cyclists are injured in the UK every day, and over the course of a year, 146 lose their lives on the country's roads. Wearing high-visibility clothing and a helmet, as well as having good road sense, will make you safer, but there may also be other less obvious dangers for urban cyclists.
According to the results of a new study carried out by Professor Jonathan Grigg of the London School of Medicine, the answer to that question is yes. Cyclists in London inhale twice as much black carbon as pedestrians, according to the study, indicating that cyclists face other potential hazards beyond the chance of a careless driver running them off the road.
Black carbon is produced when fossil fuels are burnt, and is one of the substances found in car exhaust fumes. Existing research links long-term exposure to black carbon to heart problems and reduced lung function. Of course, pedestrians also inhale these tiny soot particles, but researchers believe that because cyclists tend to be nearer to the cars, and because they breathe more deeply as a result of physical exertion, they inhale more than pedestrians.
Researchers collected sputum samples from 10 urban commuters (5 cyclists and 5 pedestrians), all of whom were non-smokers in good health, all in the 18-40 age bracket. Analysis of the samples showed that the cyclists had an average of 2.3 times the amount of black carbon in their lungs to the pedestrians. Despite the small size of the group, the probability of this difference occurring by chance is less than 1%.
If you regularly cycle in built up areas, it's definitely worth trying to find a route that will expose you to fumes as little as possible. You can also use an air filter such as PUREbreathe.
According to the results of a new study carried out by Professor Jonathan Grigg of the London School of Medicine, the answer to that question is yes. Cyclists in London inhale twice as much black carbon as pedestrians, according to the study, indicating that cyclists face other potential hazards beyond the chance of a careless driver running them off the road.
Black carbon is produced when fossil fuels are burnt, and is one of the substances found in car exhaust fumes. Existing research links long-term exposure to black carbon to heart problems and reduced lung function. Of course, pedestrians also inhale these tiny soot particles, but researchers believe that because cyclists tend to be nearer to the cars, and because they breathe more deeply as a result of physical exertion, they inhale more than pedestrians.
Researchers collected sputum samples from 10 urban commuters (5 cyclists and 5 pedestrians), all of whom were non-smokers in good health, all in the 18-40 age bracket. Analysis of the samples showed that the cyclists had an average of 2.3 times the amount of black carbon in their lungs to the pedestrians. Despite the small size of the group, the probability of this difference occurring by chance is less than 1%.
If you regularly cycle in built up areas, it's definitely worth trying to find a route that will expose you to fumes as little as possible. You can also use an air filter such as PUREbreathe.
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