Pollution

downfader

Past few times I've cycled I have had an odd breathing problem - only seems to happen around traffic. :? I have suffered hayfever and mild asthma for years (since a small kid) but this feels different.

Theres a tangy metallic taste in my mouth and my lungs sometimes feel like they're on fire! :shock: A couple of puffs on the inhaler and its gone, as is being away from traffic.

Anyone else get this "pollution" problem, or is affected by it?

victor ludorum

It could be that you are particularly sensitive to a particular plant species that is releasing its pollen at the moment. Most of the pollen about at the moment is grass pollen, but there are others.

Are you riding a route with a particular preponderance of plant life? I suffer very badly with London Plane trees, which are particularly hardy and pollution tolerant and tend to line the busiest of streets.

karl j

Yes, DF, i get this too. I've only been using an inhaler since the middle of last year (the breathing trouble originally came on as a side effect of chemo) but i find concentrations of buses to be a nightmare. Castle Meadow in Norwich is the worst culprit of all, which is odd really as it was closed to car traffic a few years ago in a bid to clean the air in the city.

prj45

I only started getting hayfever when I moved to London and I lived the early years of my life near a lot of fields and never had a problem.

I don't get it so bad these days though, but it used to be terrible. I suspect it was the fumes, not the pollen.

I think one day people are going to be shocked that we used to run combustion engines in and around people.

downfader

victor ludorum wrote:

It could be that you are particularly sensitive to a particular plant species that is releasing its pollen at the moment. Most of the pollen about at the moment is grass pollen, but there are others.

Are you riding a route with a particular preponderance of plant life? I suffer very badly with London Plane trees, which are particularly hardy and pollution tolerant and tend to line the busiest of streets.

I'm quite allergic to tree and grass pollen, and some flowering plants. Sadly my route is 99% road and about 1% plant life. :? When I ride through the local common its like a weight is lifted - I suppose because the trees have filtered out some of it or blocked it off.

Southampton is a lazy, lazy town, and if people can they will take their cars. An example of which was my late grandfather who would take his jag to the corner shop 100 feet away. :shock:

GrantyBoy

Yeah my chest has been tight the past few weeks as well, thinkn it's just because we are coming into the height of summer when hay fever is at it's worse.