Traffic Pollution Can Cause Rise In Blood Pressure, Study Finds (theguardian.com) 22
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Air pollution from traffic can cause a significant rise in blood pressure that can last up to 24 hours, according to a study via the University of Washington. The spike is comparable to the effect of a high-sodium diet and can contribute to cardiovascular problems. Long-term exposure to vehicle exhaust has been widely linked with respiratory problems such as asthma, especially in children. "Traffic air pollution increases blood pressure within an hour of being in traffic and it stays elevated a day later," said author of the study Joel Kaufman, a physician and professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington.
Sixteen healthy people between the ages of 22 and 45 underwent three separate drives as passengers through Seattle rush hour. Two of those drives were "unfiltered," meaning the road air was allowed to enter the car, as is the case for many drivers on the road today. On the third drive, a Hepa (high efficiency particulate absorbing) filter was installed in the car, with participants unaware which drive had filtration. The researchers measured the blood pressure of the passengers before, during and after the two-hour drive. Breathing unfiltered air resulted in blood pressure increase of more than 4.5mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) compared to filtered air. Most of the pollution came from tailpipe exhaust or the fossil fuel combustion, as well as brake and tire wear. The filters were most effective in reducing ultrafine particles (86% decrease), black carbon, which is mostly from diesel (86%), and PM2.5 (60%) while gasses like carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide were unaffected. "The clue here is that these tiniest particles are probably what's responsible for blood pressure difference," Kaufman said.
"If you live in an area that has heavy traffic-related air pollution, you want to keep your windows closed and have air filtration capability in your home."
Sixteen healthy people between the ages of 22 and 45 underwent three separate drives as passengers through Seattle rush hour. Two of those drives were "unfiltered," meaning the road air was allowed to enter the car, as is the case for many drivers on the road today. On the third drive, a Hepa (high efficiency particulate absorbing) filter was installed in the car, with participants unaware which drive had filtration. The researchers measured the blood pressure of the passengers before, during and after the two-hour drive. Breathing unfiltered air resulted in blood pressure increase of more than 4.5mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) compared to filtered air. Most of the pollution came from tailpipe exhaust or the fossil fuel combustion, as well as brake and tire wear. The filters were most effective in reducing ultrafine particles (86% decrease), black carbon, which is mostly from diesel (86%), and PM2.5 (60%) while gasses like carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide were unaffected. "The clue here is that these tiniest particles are probably what's responsible for blood pressure difference," Kaufman said.
"If you live in an area that has heavy traffic-related air pollution, you want to keep your windows closed and have air filtration capability in your home."
But how do we prove it? (Score:1)
What if a rise in blood pressure has been causing traffic pollution? There is no way to know
Re:But how do we prove it? (Score:5, Informative)
The study is not just a correlation. It involves an intervention. You put air filters into a car, then randomly and blindly turn them on and off for different days. That establishes cause and effect beyond most doubt.
Re: (Score:2)
That establishes cause and effect beyond most doubt.
why not measure what comes into the car instead of guessing that its exhaust fumes? is this not science?
Trolling is bad for your health. (Score:3)
Trolling is bad for your health.
Go make science instead.
Re: (Score:2)
Which aren't happening. You know how we know this isn't happening? Because neither you, nor anyone, who's been challenged to provide evidence for this claim has ever done so. Never. No information whatsoever. Just a vacuous, meaningless statement thought up by morons.
Re: (Score:2)
I'd really like to know the philosophy of traffic light programming. Whoever does it certainly doesn't care about traffic flow.
For various reasons sometimes I'm on the road later at night. After 11 PM or so I've noticed some traffic lights near me are programmed to STOP you. No other cars around.
In some cases I could see the sensor loops in the road, drove around them, light stays green for me.
Some other cases I figured out they sense car headlights and turn the light red to stop you. Turning my headlights
e-bike. (Score:2)
There's a better workaround.
It involves constant pedalling.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
AFAICT it's mostly about incompetence.
It usually takes me ten minutes just to get halfway through Eureka (getting the fuck out) after work, on a road which the 101 turns into.
But in turn that situation was caused by refusing to do a bypass around the town back when that was feasible. It would be basically impossible now. Their fear of being left out turned into just making themselves a big fucking speed bump.
Re: (Score:2)
Did they cross reference? (Score:2)
Because I am fairly sure that the traffic itself already explains elevated blood pressure levels sufficiently.
Re:Did they cross reference? (Score:4, Informative)
They filtered the air in cars on random days, blind to the participants.
Couldn't possibly be.. (Score:1)
Couldn't possibly be all those "traffic calming" measures that turn a perfectly reasonable road into a taxpayer funded way to destroy your vehicle as you just try to get to and from work.
Maybe government should focus on basic infrastructure rather than redirecting those funds to every city councilmembers pet study into.. whatever.
Think about Delhi (Score:3)
Re:Think about Delhi (Score:4, Informative)
Time for EVs and underground traffic (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)