SPEED bumps are fuelling air pollution and making us sick, a study suggests.
Shaun Wooller
9 Jan 2020, 0:01
Updated: 8 Jan 2020, 23:41
The traffic-slowing ramps around schools and care homes also put the most vulnerable at risk.
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Researchers warn that brake dust caused by speed bumps could be harming our healthCredit: Alamy
Researchers warn that dust from brake pads may be as harmful to health as diesel exhaust fumes.
Braking releases toxic metal particles into the air and hitting a bump dislodges even more.
These are breathed in — potentially weakening lungs’ ability to fight infection and making coughs worse.
Scientists from King’s College London tested the impact of brake dust and diesel fumes on immune cells called macrophages.
Both reduced the cells’ ability to destroy bacteria and raised their production of a molecule linked to inflammation.
Researcher Dr Liza Selley said: "Diesel fumes and brake dust appear to be as bad as each other in terms of toxicity in macrophages.
"Macrophages protect the lung from microbes and infections and regulate inflammation, but we found that when they're exposed to brake dust they can no longer take up bacteria.
"Worryingly, this means that brake dust could be contributing to what I call 'London throat' - the constant froggy feeling and string of coughs and colds that city dwellers endure - and more serious infections like pneumonia or bronchitis which we already know to be influenced by diesel exhaust exposure."
The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and is published in the journal Metallomics.
A new study is the first to report evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function. The researchers found that the use of any NSAID nearly halved of the effect of PM on lung function, with the association consistent across all four weekly air pollution measurements from same-day to 28 days prior to the lung function test.
Date:
October 2, 2019
Source:
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
A new study is the first to report evidence that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the adverse effects of air pollution exposure on lung function. The team of researchers from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston University School of Medicine published their findings in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The researchers analyzed a subset of data collected from a cohort of 2,280 male veterans from the greater Boston area who were given tests to determine their lung function. The average age of participants was 73 years. The researchers examined the relationship between test results, self-reported NSAID use, and ambient particulate matter (PM) and black carbon in the month preceding the test, while accounting for a variety of factors, including the health status of the subject and whether or not he was a smoker. They found that the use of any NSAID nearly halved of the effect of PM on lung function, with the association consistent across all four weekly air pollution measurements from same-day to 28 days prior to the lung function test.
Because most of the people in the study cohort who took NSAIDs used aspirin, the researchers say the modifying effect they observed was mainly from aspirin, but add that effects of non-aspirin NSAIDs are worthy of further exploration. While the mechanism is unknown, the researchers speculate that NSAIDs mitigate inflammation brought about by air pollution.
"Our findings suggest that aspirin and other NSAIDs may protect the lungs from short-term spikes in air pollution," says first and corresponding author Xu Gao, PhD, a post-doctoral research scientist in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School. "Of course, it is still important to minimize our exposure to air pollution, which is linked to a host of adverse health effects, from cancer to cardiovascular disease."
"While environmental policies have made considerable progress toward reducing our overall exposure to air pollution, even in places with low levels of air pollution, short-term spikes are still commonplace," says senior author Andrea Baccarelli, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School. "For this reason, it is important to identify means to minimize those harms."
An earlier study by Baccarelli found that B vitamins may also play a role in reducing the health impact of air pollution.
Co-authors include Brent Coull, Xihong Lin, and Joel Schwartz at Harvard; and Pantel Vokonas at the Boston University School of Medicine.The current study was supported by grants from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES009089, ES021733, ES025225, ES027747). The VA Normative Aging Study is supported by the Cooperative Studies Program/Epidemiology Research and Information Center of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and is a component of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center in Boston.
Xu Gao, Brent Coull, Xihong Lin, Pantel Vokonas, Joel Schwartz, Andrea A Baccarelli. Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Modify the Effect of Short-Term Air Pollution on Lung Function. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201905-1003LE
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There are 47 towns and cities in the UK which are polluted (Picture: Rex)
It recorded pollution levels of 18 micrograms per cubic metre, well above the WHO limit of 10.
Researchers looked at fine particle emissions – called PM 2.5 – which travel deeply into people’s respiratory systems and can lead to health problems.
The tiny particles, which come from sources such as transport, industry, coal plants and burning wood, fuels or waste, are linked to conditions including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory infections.
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Port Talbot in Wales was top of the pollution list (Picture: PA)
Many of the country’s main cities exceed the WHO limit, including London, Manchester, Liverpool and Nottingham.
Port Talbot, home of the Port Talbot steelworks, recorded 18 micrograms per cubic metre in the last recorded data from 2015, the same as Marseille in France, Singapore and the Ecuadorian capital Quito, and higher than Belgian capital Brussels (16).
The figures show varying levels of pollution in Port Talbot over time, with the figure at 16 in 2013, down to 10 in 2014 and on the rise again in 2015.
Scunthorpe and Salford recorded the second-worst levels of pollution in the UK, with 15 micrograms per cubic metre recorded, followed by Gibraltar and Thurrock on 14.
Manchester and Swansea were on 13, and cities including Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sheffield and York recorded 12, one above London which showed 11 micrograms per cubic metre in 2015.
This figure represents a drop from 17 in 2013, while in Carlisle the levels have gone up from eight in 2013 to 12 in 2015.
Cities on the WHO limit of 10 include Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Newcastle, Portsmouth and Southampton.
The most polluted city in 2015 according to the WHO data is Muzaffarpur in India, with a figure of 197 micrograms per cubic metre, although this figure is under revision.
Below that is Pasakha in Bhutan (150), Delhi in India (123) and greater Cairo in Egypt (117).
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London is still among the most polluted places in the UK – but it isn’t the worst (Picture: PA)
The government has been urged to take action in the wake of the report, which said seven million people a year worldwide are dying due to poor air quality, and nine out of 10 people are exposed to levels of air pollution that are dangerous to their health.
Environmental law charity ClientEarth chief executive James Thornton said: “These new statistics show a worrying level of this dangerous air pollution across the country.
“People shouldn’t have to breathe air on a daily basis which the WHO deems unhealthy.”
He added ministers should commit to a new Clean Air Act, adding: “Without it, many people across the UK will continue to pay with their health.”
Alison Cook, director of policy at the British Lung Foundation, said: “This report reconfirms that air pollution is one of the leading environmental public health crises in the UK today.
“Action to reduce the toxic particles in the air we breathe can no longer be delayed.
“How much more evidence do we need to see before the Government sets new legal limits on pollution levels to protect the nation’s lung health?”
Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The UK government needs to show leadership by adopting WHO air quality guidelines into national legislation and in doing so, help to protect the nation’s heart and circulatory health.”
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Port Talbot has a pollution level of 18 micrograms per cubic metre (Picture: PA)
THE 32 UK TOWNS AND CITIES (AND GIBRALTAR) WHICH EXCEED THE WHO AIR POLLUTION LIMIT
Port Talbot: 18 micrograms per cubic metre
Scunthorpe: 15
Salford: 15
Gibraltar: 14
Thurrock: 14
Manchester: 13
Swansea: 13
Gillingham: 13
Carlisle: 12
Chepstow: 12
Leeds: 12
Leicester: 12
Liverpool: 12
Grays: 12
Eccles: 12
Nottingham: 12
View photos
Nottingham is one of the cities with a pollution level over the WHO limit (Picture: PA)
Your brain is obviously a very important part of your being. It is one of the largest organs in your body and is the main control center for every function that happens in your day-to-day life. It carries a heck of a lot of information around and has an endless list of responsibilities!
The brain is also surprisingly delicate. In recent years, the World Health Organizationreleased what they consider to be the top 10 brain-damaging habits that are common among people today.
I’ve listed them below so take a look and ask yourself… Am I guilty of doing any of these things on a regularly basis?
#1 No Breakfast
We’ve seen it everywhere that breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. The debate may go on as to what we should eat for breakfast and when or how we should eat it, but we know for sure that those who do not eat breakfast will have lower blood sugar levels. After a long night without eating, this can lead to an insufficient supply of nutrients to your brain. If repeated often enough over a lifetime this can cause brain degeneration.
#2 Overeating
As if we’re not already feeling guilty enough about this one! Apparently, besides making us gain weight, feel bloated and damaging our self-esteem, overeating also causes hardening of brain arteries which can in turn decrease mental power. Sigh.
#3 Smoking
We all know smoking is bad for one’s health. The most freaky side effect of smoking is that is causes “multiple brain shrinkage”. It is also a suspected culprit in Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related diseases.
#4 High Sugar Consumption
If you’ve been hanging around FitLife for any amount of time then you know all about the dangers of sugar and how it is hidden in nearly EVERYTHING we eat these days. Ditching the sugar habit will bring you more health benefits than most people realize. If you’re not convinced yet, turns out that high sugar consumption has been shown to disrupt the body’s ability to absorb proteins and nutrients, which causes malnutrition and issues with brain development. We may be starving ourselves and not even know it!
#5 Air Pollution
This one is a bit harder to solve on an individual basis unless you walk around with a face mask all the time. The brain needs incredible amounts of oxygen to function properly (the reason people pass out so quickly or even die when deprived of air for a short amount of time) and constantly inhaling pollution decreases the oxygen supply to the body, leading to a decrease in brain efficiency.
#6 Sleep Deprivation
Long term sleep deprivation speeds up the death of brain cells. We want and need to keep our brain cells around for as long as possible! Sleep gives your brain a chance torest and repair itself after long and sometimes stressful days. Make sleep a priority and do what it takes to get more of it!
#7 Head Covered While Sleeping
This one surprised me too. Sleeping with your head covered goes along with #5 in the fact that it reduces your oxygen intake at night. Since you are asleep, you might not even realize that you’re light-headed or air deprived. You also raise the chance of inhaling too much carbon dioxide. Play it safe and keep the covers off your face!
#8 Working Your Brain During Illness
We live in a go-go-go society and some of us are so driven or determined to succeed that we refuse to rest when we get sick. The truth is, when our body shows signs of illness, it’s often the body’s way of telling us we need to SLOW DOWN and reconsider our current lifestyle. It is ALSO telling us that our BRAIN needs a break! Pushing through sickness, continuing to study or work or do whatever it is we do every day can actually decrease the effectiveness of and damage the brain.
#9 Lacking In Stimulating Thoughts
Basically, if we don’t use our brain and stretch it with new and stimulating thoughts, it will SHRINK. Yikes! Thinking is a powerful tool and throughout all the years of your life, the thoughts you think create new pathways in the brain. The neuroplasticity of the brain ensures that you won’t stay the same forever – you’ll either create new pathways and improvements in your mind, or your brain will shrink to accommodate your lack of effort to think and discover new things. Weird!
#10 Talking Rarely
Similar to #9, talking to people helps your brain to grow and develop. Participating in intellectual conversations will stretch and strengthen your brain and help the efficiency of the brain over time.
So as you can see, your brain is a marvelous gift. It’s fun learning new facts about how to take care of and develop the best brain possible. Don’t ignore these important little diddies of info! Do what it takes to keep your brain healthy and strong for your entire life and you won’t regret it.
