How to Avoid Air Pollution Other Than Destroying All Cars
Bad day to breathe in the city. As I write this post, there are air quality warnings in Washington DC , New York , Louisville , Columbus , Sacramento , Birmingham , Pittsburgh , and to be honest, I’m tired of listing them, so just find your home on this map . In all of these areas, children, the elderly, and people with existing breathing problems should be limited to outdoor time. This is just one data point in an ongoing problem. In New York City alone, air pollution causes more than 2,000 premature deaths a year .
Day in and day out, the best way to avoid air pollution is to stay away from car traffic. Cars and trucks produce 24% of urban air pollution in the United States , and they pump it right from ground level. As the New York Times recently reported, cyclists ironically bear the brunt of this pollution , sometimes inhaling half of their “daily dose” of pollution while commuting to work. Traffic and heavy breathing are a toxic combination. (This exercise still exceeds the pollution cost for the typical adult.)
The ideal solution, of course, is to ban cars and turn them into free bikes for everyone. But in the real world, it’s best to physically avoid polluting cars, just like any other monster roaming the streets and literally killing people.
Recharge until rush hour, walk down the alleys, and (if you want to fix the problem in the future) use the air conditioner instead of opening windows and letting in smog.
Air pollution affects not only those around cars, but also those inside them . British professor Stephen Holgate says air pollution is “9 to 12 times higher inside a car than outside,” where fans often blow exhaust air directly into the car.
According to Beijing physician Dr. Richard Saint-Cyr, conventional air filtration masks are useless if you are not completely close to your face. (If your goggles fog up when breathing through the mask , then they are not sealed.) After testing, he recommends masks from 3M, Vogmask, Totobobo and I Can Breathe . The 3M mask costs $ 15.47 for a 10-pack.
According to the EPA, in the long term, air pollution will be reduced thanks to federal regulations . But the Trump-appointed head of the EPA is trying to overturn the emission rules adopted under Obama . If you want to breathe cleaner air without hiding from cars, call Congress and tell them you need stringent anti-pollution regulations. You can also talk to your local government about anti-traffic measures such as congestion prices , more bus routes, and bike sharing. We cannot rely on the public to abandon their cars in a system that places so much emphasis on cars. We should all do this together.