Cyclist Pollution Exposure Research Study

babybikedoc

Dear All,

My first time on bikeradar.com so be nice.

I am a London commuter, an amateur TT and MTB enthusiast, a respiratory paediatrician and a pollution researcher and I am interested in the health impacts and determinants of London air pollution exposure.

I'm looking for healthy regular London cyclists (ideally commuters) aged 18-40, non-smoking, who regularly and habitually use an anti-pollution mask for their London rides. I'd like an hour of your time to take part in a research study that will investigate the role of masks in this story.

If you're interested please direct message me and I will send you information.

Thanks

Chin

Headhuunter

I took party in something like this a few years ago...a guy advertised here for people to use pollution masks, he provided the masks..I tried to help, I really did but those masks are a nightmare, it's like cycling with a damp, snotty pillow taped to your face

Gizmo_

I'd be very interested in the results of the study, and fit the demographic, but I don't wear a mask.

crosstowncommuter

As headhuunter mentioned there was a guy posting on here a while back who was doing something similar and offering people the use of a free mask in return for getting the used filters back for his research.

As with other posters I tried using a respro mask for the first 6 months of regular commuting in London back in about 2005. In the end though I gave up with it, as once it gets soaked in sweat / rain it's very difficult to breathe through and also gave me bad sweat rash on my face after regular use!

The solution I came to was to choose quieter back roads for my commute, in London it's pretty easy to do. The pollution levels drop off drastically even a short distance away from the major routes. I also get to see some relatively quiet parts of London that many people miss. Additional journey time is only of the order of minutes, and I actually welcome the extra time on the bike :-).

My opinion on tackling the very poor London air quality is it needs to be done at source. Sadly with the current economic climate and the current incumbent in City Hall I'm not holding my breath on any real measures to tackle the issue!

It is sad really, as I think everyone will benefit from an improvement in air quality in London. As a keen cyclist I suspect long term it's one of the reasons I would consider leaving London.

Good luck with your research

JamesB5446

Hi.