anti-air pollution masks

bacon?

thinking of getting into a cycling to work regime... would an anti pollution mask be nessasary?

anyone use em?

Alanstrainor

bacon? wrote: »

thinking of getting into a cycling to work regime... would an anti pollution mask be nessasary?

anyone use em?

Nope! Never even crossed my mind, and i've been cycling to work for quite a while, in Dublin btw. Definitely no need for them.

bacon?

Alanstrainor wrote: »

Nope! Never even crossed my mind, and i've been cycling to work for quite a while, in Dublin btw. Definitely no need for them.

cool

Chris Peak

Tried one a few years ago. (supposed to be the top of the range) Couldn't breath while cycling. Gasped for air at every traffic light.
A little more research stated that the most harmful pollutants just pass right through anyway.

All in all, a complete waste. That said, if you really want one you can have mine.
Just send me a PM and I'll get it ready for you.
I'm in Dublin BTW

monument

Read somewhere (haven't it at my finger tips) that motorists inhale more fumes inside cars than cyclists do outside them.

Chris Peak

monument wrote: »

Read somewhere (haven't it at my finger tips) that motorists inhale more fumes inside cars than cyclists do outside them.

Heard that as well. Might be an urban legend.
Something to do with the air intake facing the car in fronts exhaust pipe. The air pipe also runs beside the engine so, if there's a hole in it, that's another source for fumes.

Alanstrainor

I was thinking they might make breathing difficult when you're giving it legs, although there's two situations i would think it one come in handy:
1. The stuck behind a bin truck that is going slightly too fast to overtake! Argh, i hate it when that happens!
2. Getting stuck behind a bus that you keep catching up with when it stops to let people off, only to get a face full of fumes when you catch up with it only to find it pulling away.

72hundred

u'd be covered for swig flu anyway!

Lumen

monument wrote: »

Read somewhere (haven't it at my finger tips) that motorists inhale more fumes inside cars than cyclists do outside them.

The pollutants are probably at similar levels of concentration, but how hard do you breathe whilst driving?

PM10s from buses not good.

Harpz

TCD did a test between a cyclist motorist and a bus along the quays. Suprisingly (i thought) the worst pollutants were on the bus which they attributed to queueing up along the quays with the exhaust from the bus in front feeding almost directly into the air intake in the bus behind.

ROK ON

bacon? wrote: »

thinking of getting into a cycling to work regime... would an anti pollution mask be nessasary?

anyone use em?

I am not sure is your question genuine or a piss take.
But on the basis that it is genuine, ask yourself the following: When walking about a town, do you wear a mask. If you do, then you should wear one cycling.

Jawgap

bacon? wrote: »

thinking of getting into a cycling to work regime... would an anti pollution mask be nessasary?

anyone use em?

Complete waste of time - the PM10s and particularly the PM2.5s will penetrate the mask - that's the bad news.

The good news is that cycling and expending effort causes the mucous membranes to "run" - so your eyes water, you salivate more and your nose runs - meaning the pollutants are being constantly washed out before they can penetrate into the lungs.

The problem for drivers is they sit there in a "bath" of pollution with no streaming eyes or runny noses so every breath they inhale carries the damaging particles into their lungs.

stopped_clock

I used one around London a bit. It took a bit of getting used to, was very uncomfortable and got very sweaty. Made breathing difficult as mentioned above.

It did keep my face warm in winter.

You tend to get a build-up of dark residue on the filter which suggests 'something' is being kept out of the lungs.

ROK ON wrote: »

When walking about a town, do you wear a mask. If you do, then you should wear one cycling.

Not sure if that's a fair comparison imho. I breathe more heavily when cycling than walking, and am forced to sit near busses' exhausts.

blorg

ROK ON wrote: »

I am not sure is your question genuine or a piss take.

It's hardly a piss take, after all these things are manufactured and you do see people wearing them.

petethedrummer

When they figure out how to put a bicycle in a Zorb ball, we'll all be safe from pollutants and taxi drivers.

Ant

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I was thinking they might make breathing difficult when you're giving it legs, although there's two situations i would think it one come in handy:
1. The stuck behind a bin truck that is going slightly too fast to overtake! Argh, i hate it when that happens!
2. Getting stuck behind a bus that you keep catching up with when it stops to let people off, only to get a face full of fumes when you catch up with it only to find it pulling away.

I really hate these two situations. The stretch of Fleet St. between D'Olier and Westmoreland is particularly bad from the concentration of buses parked along a narrow street.

These experiences spurred me to get a pollution mask a few years ago but I only wore it a few times as I found it to be too hot and sweaty - unless the temperature is close to 0 degrees. I concluded that the discomfort outweighed the (possible) advantages of the mask and never wore it since.