Driving with Car Windows Open can Expose You to More Pollution

Car users are exposed to more in-car air pollution as they rely heavily on opening their windows for ventilation, reveals a new study.

Think twice before rolling down your car windows for fresh air next time because the windows-open setting can expose car passengers to hotspots of air pollution. The findings of the study are published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.//

For the study, the research team investigated air pollution exposure levels for commuters in 10 different global cities across the world, including Chennai.

Air Pollution - Pollutants - Health Effect - Efforts to Reduce
Nearly 2.4 million deaths every year are attributable to air pollution. Air pollutants may be solid particles, liquid droplets or gases. Proper planning methods should be adopted to reduce air pollution.

‘Driving with the window open can lead to 80 percent more in-car air pollution. ’

"To be blunt, we need as many cars as possible off the road, or more green vehicles to reduce air pollution exposure," said study researcher Prashant Kumar from the University of Surrey in the UK.

"Air-conditioned cars are unattainable for many poor and vulnerable commuters across the world, but our data is clear and coherent for all ten participating cities," Kumar added.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, and nine out of 10 people breathe air with high levels of pollutants.

Breathing Dirty Air may Lead to Kidney Failure
Breathing in unclean air due to increasing air pollution could cause kidney damage with resultant kidney failure according to a recent epidemiologic study.

The research team investigated PM2.5 and PM10 exposure levels inside vehicles during peak hours in the morning and evening, as well as off-peak hours in the middle of the day.

The scientists measured how exposure levels changed when drivers used recirculation systems, fans, and simply opened the windows.

Fish Consumption Protects Brain from Toxic Effects of Air Pollution
Older women who consume fish two times per week, consume enough omega-3 fatty acids to counteract the toxic effects of pollutants. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce the brain damage caused by neurotoxins in the fine particulate matter pollutants.

The study discovered that drivers in some of the world's poorest cities experienced higher levels of in-car pollution.

Irrespective of the city and car model used, a windows-open setting showed the highest exposure, followed by fan-on and recirculation.

Exposure to Air Pollution Causes Your Lungs to Age Faster and Increases Lung Disease Risk
Exposure to outdoor air pollution causes faster aging of lung tissue, reduce lung function and increase the risk of developing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Pollution exposure for windows-open during off-peak hours was 91 percent and 40 percent less than morning and evening peak hours, respectively.

The study also found that the windows-open setting exposed car passengers to hotspots of air pollution for up to a third of the total travel length.

The findings also showed that commuters who turn on the recirculation are exposed to around 80 percent less harmful particles than those who open their car windows.

Car cabin filters were more effective in removing pollution than fine particles, suggesting that if new cars had more efficient filters, it could reduce the overall exposure of car commuters.

"The study has drawn important conclusions that can help commuters make decisions in their day-to-day lives to protect their health," said study researcher Abdus Salam from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh.

"Simple choices, like traveling during off-peak hours, can go a long way in reducing their exposure to air pollution," Salam said.

Source-IANS