Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: Thor Håkon Lindstad on 18/07/2010 16:30:02
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Thor Håkon Lindstad asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello, Naked Scientists!
Being an active person, I spend a couple of hours every day running or road biking this summer. For biking I obviously need roads; roads which are also being driven on by cars. These cars emit a variety of dangerous gases through their exhaust, which I in turn breathe in.
Every time I ride my bike, I do so for 1,5 hours and in that time I am passed by approx. 250 cars.
Does the exhaust from these cars damage my lungs and heart more than my body benefits from the training; making biking in areas with cars pointless?
Greetings from Thor H. Lindstad, 15yrs., Norway
What do you think?
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I don't know, but I hear that cycling is viewed as healthy here in the UK and I think we have a lot more cars on our roads. So, if it's good here it must be even better there.
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Since you could walk, run, cycle or sit in a pram and you would inhale the same compounds I doubt it would have an overall effect of negating the fitness and health benefits of cycling.
Having said that I have no idea how much congestion or pollution is in you area... though I still suspect that the cycling is still beneficial.
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Generally, I believe the effects of the exercise outweigh the effects of any such inhaled hazards. The reason is that heart disease is a really big killer, and that's about the most common cause of death and the exercise helps avoid this.
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Thor Håkon Lindstad asked the Naked Scientists:
Hello, Naked Scientists!
Being an active person, I spend a couple of hours every day running or road biking this summer.
For biking I obviously need roads; roads which are also being driven on by cars. These cars emit a variety of dangerous gases through their exhaust, which I in turn breathe in; every time I ride my bike, I do so for 1,5 hours and in that time I am passed by approx. 250 cars.
Does the exhaust from these cars damage my lungs and heart more than my body benefits from the training; making biking in areas with cars pointless?
Greetings from Thor H. Lindstad, 15yrs., Norway
What do you think?