LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- How much time do you
spend in a car? Your daily commute may be taking more of a toll than you
realize! As Ivanhoe explains, if you don't smoke and you have pretty
healthy habits, your car ride to and from work may be the unhealthiest
part of your day.
"The air coming into your car is the worst air in the whole city," Scott
Fruin, D.Env., an assistant professor of environmental health at
University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los
Angeles, Calif., told Ivanhoe. Researches used an electric car to track
just how much pollution drivers are exposed to. Los Angeles commuters
spend an average of 90 minutes sucking in diesel fuel fumes and ultra
fine particles, or UFP, every day.
These particles -- smaller than one-one thousandth the size of a human
hair -- can penetrate cell walls, enter the bloodstream and disperse
throughout the body. They have been linked to increased risk of heart
attacks and strokes. "They get deepest into your lungs," Dr. Fruin
explains. "They get into your bloodstream, and those are particularly
high on freeways and busy roads."
The American Heart Association found high concentrations of diesel exhaust
increases clot formation by almost 25 percent, which could lead to deadly
cardiovascular problems. The study out of the University of Southern
California found the biggest commute concerns are fumes from diesel trucks
and following cars that hit the gas pedal too hard -- kicking up those
deadly particles into the air and into your car. "If you don't smoke … it's
the next worse environment," Dr. Fruin says.
So how can you make your commute safer? Researchers say drive with the
windows up and set the air on re-circulate. But the best way to survive your
commute is to cut your commute!
Studies have shown as little as two hours on the road a day can impact your
heart health. Sounds like a lot, but that's just an hour commute each way.
Of course, taking a train and exercising are also great ways to combat the
effects of pollution on your health.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Scott Fruin
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
(323) 442-2870
fruin@usc.edu
