This stoplight may be a bigger threat to your health than you would expect.
It's long been well-known that driving is not exactly helpful for reducing air pollution levels, but a recent study from the UK suggests that it may be just as dangerous for the people in the car as it is for the planet. Researchers from the University of Surrey monitored pollutant levels in cars throughout a journey and found that harmful particle exposure increases by about 29 times when a car is stopped at a light.
The researchers attribute the increase in particle pollution to the rapid deceleration and acceleration that occurs at intersections with lights, which both use up more fuel than steadily driving at the same pace. Cars also tended to end up closer together at lights than while driving, increasing drivers' exposure to emissions from other people's vehicles. Although drivers spend only 2 percent of a journey waiting at lights on average, about 25 percent of their exposure to harmful levels of air pollution occurs during these periods.
Lead author Dr. Prashant Kumar said in a statement, "Air pollution was recently placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to seven million premature deaths every year … with more cars than ever joining the roads, we are being exposed to increasing levels of air pollution as we undertake our daily commutes."
To reduce your exposure to air pollution at stoplights, keep a good distance between your car and the car in front of you. Keeping your windows shut and your fan off are also good ways of keeping the air in your car clean.
You can't control your exposure to air pollution everywhere, but at least you can do it at home. Browse US Air Purifiers' selection for a home air purifier today.