Riding a motorcycle-- at least in the city-- invariably involves breathing polluted air. So when a new study suggests that inhaling exhaust-ridden air can dramatically increase the odds of heart disease and stroke, it's enough to make motorcyclists seriously consider when and where they choose to ride.
The study found that people who lived within 100 meters (or 328 feet) from Los Angeles freeways experienced artery wall thickening at twice the normal rate, which can lead to heart disease and stroke due to the particulate matter from automobile and truck exhaust. The study examined 1,483 people over a period of three years, and co-author Howard N. Hodis says that "environmental factors may play a larger role in the risk for cardiovascular disease than previously suspected."
So how about motorcyclists, who are exposed to far more particulates than freeway-adjacent residents? For starters, logic dictates that it's healthier to avoid car and truck-infested local roads and head out to less busy roads-- not only for the reduced pollution, but also since you'll spend less energy trying stay visible in traffic and more time enjoying the ride. And besides, doesn't being surrounded by the great outdoors sound like more fun than dicing the urban jungle with a surgical mask beneath your helmet?
Related:
- Say it Ain't So: Study Correlates Motorcycles and Impotence
- Say it Ain't So: Motorcycles Pollute 10 Times More Than Cars
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Say it Ain't So: Breathing Polluted Air Accelerates Artery Hardening originally appeared on About.com Motorcycles on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 03:26:40.
