Pollution masks for cyclists.

[mod]

Do they work? I have no qualms about cycling to work looking like a hardcore raver but just wondered if they are of any genuine protective use? Is there proof?

Cheers

P.S How nice is it cycling to work in this weather? Lovely.

 

[pootle]

I've wondered this too. Maybe they would be good if you have a respiratory problem like asthma or maybe hayfever? Are they that effective?

It makes me laugh the cyclists who wear pollution masks, but not helmets. Surely you're putting yourself at more risk of brain damage/head injury than any serious pollution related woes?

 

[beeboo]

Don't know much about masks I'm afraid. But blimey, it was smoggy today! I was running rather than cycling - but my lungs feel all crappy now (but worth it for the time in the sun!)

I've seen some research on cyclist/pedestrian exposure to airbourne pollutants, and if you can get away from busy roads (even just a few feet away) it makes a big difference to how much crap you inhale - eg a cycle lane that is slightly separate to the main road is alot healthier than the main road itself.

If you can find quieter back streets to cycle on, so much the better.

 

[ChrisFilter]

If you really cane it when you cycle, aren't they gonna hinder your breathing?

 

[pootle]

They might be handy if you were behind someone prone to bike parps

Also, don't you need to keep an eye on the filter? (of the mask, not the chris...)

 

[Crispy]

In the winter they get all condensationy and soggy and irritate your skin.
In the summer they get all hot and sweaty and ssoggy and irritate your skin.
IIRC, they only filter out the larger psrticulates. All the noxious stuff still goes in your lungs (you'll note that on the packaging it says - do not use in DIY setting etc)
I don't wear one because they do restrict breathing if you're caning it, plus they're uncomfy in pretty much any weather.

 

[tommers]

what he said.

I used to work for a mask manufacturer and they said that it will filter out stuff like dust particles, bits of dirt etc but the cheap ones won't affect the amount of Carbon Monoxide or other pollutants you get in your lungs.

Plus, when I worked there I got some free and so I wore them when I cycled and when I stopped I found I had a sweat patch around my mouth in the exact shape of the mask.

So I don't bother any more.

 

[mod]

Crap then.

Thankfully my route from East Dulwich to Tower Bridge is mainly on cycle paths and a park but when i get stuck behind a bus i do wonder whay exactly I'm sucking in.

Thanks anywhere people and have a top weekend!

 

[tommers]

Crap then.

Thankfully my route from East Dulwich to Tower Bridge is mainly on cycle paths and a park but when i get stuck behind a bus i do wonder whay exactly I'm sucking in.

Thanks anywhere people and have a top weekend!

if it's any help studies have shown (i.e. I read it somewhere) that people in cars actually suffer higher levels of pollution than pedestrians or cyclists.

 

[Buds and Spawn]

If I don't wear a mask then my mouth gets gritty. If I wear a mask it doesn't. So they must be stopping at least some of the larger crud. Some benefit is better than none.

Masks are a pain when it rains because when wet they're very hard to breath through.

It makes me laugh the cyclists who wear pollution masks, but not helmets. Surely you're putting yourself at more risk of brain damage/head injury than any serious pollution related woes?

Disagree - the pollution is always there (although varies quite a lot depending on route, season, weather etc..). The risk of head injury is less ubiquitous (touch wood).

Wearing a mask reduces the risk of illness through sucking in the city's pollution. Sensible and aware cycling (i.e. being aggressive as hell in London IMO) reduces the risk of head injury. Helmets do too - just a different approach. I quite often see peeps geared up to the nines cycling like idiots. I'd rather avoid trouble without all the gear, than get into trouble with it.

Saying that, the reason I don't have a helmet is cos' I got laughed out of a number of cycling shops asking for one (too much dreadage).

 

[Crispy]

Best thing surely is to ride safely and wear a helmet?

And 'aggressive as hell' is not the way to do it either. I've nearly come a cropper several times thanks to 'aggressive as hell' courier types on their single speeds snaking around in traffic like it's a video game. Got overtaken in the cycle lane with moving buses on the right and a busy pavement on the left the other day. Prat.

'Cautious as hell' is a better maxim, along with 'the safest place is behind the bus/truck/white van'. Ride with purpose, yes - make your intentions clear and don't dither. Don't be aggressive - you'll just piss people off, or worse.

</rant>

 

[Chorlton]

i was wondering about this, this morning after an incident with a taxi - new thread time

 

[rennie]

In the winter they get all condensationy and soggy and irritate your skin.
In the summer they get all hot and sweaty and ssoggy and irritate your skin.

that's what cycle couriers say.

 

[Crispy]

I'm speaking from experience. The cons outweight the pros, IMO.

 

[richtea]

No, don't bother, they're useless.

 

[Sunray]

Wearing a mask reduces the risk of illness through sucking in the city's pollution.

Provably not true. All the bactieria, viruses, particulates and poison gases that are in the air will fly straight through any mask you can breath through like those.

To filter stuff like that out you'd need a gas mask, perhaps a motorised air compressor/filter/tank.

 

[craigxcraig]

Not sure if this will add to the debate!

http://www.cleartheair.org.hk /facemasks.htm

 

[gentlegreen]

I suspect it's more of a political statement - like the cyclist who I sometimes see who is not only eschewing the cycle path provided (which I am more than happy to use myself) but is riding in the middle of the road up the hill

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[Skim]

I read about a study a few months ago that said all the benefits of riding a bike are pretty much cancelled out by the pollution on London's streets, even if you wear a mask. Kind of depressing, really. Sorry – dont have a link and can't remember where I read it.

 

[Major Tom]

Ten years ago I saw loads of cyclists wearing them - now I see just about none.

I deduce from that they're pretty useless. - especially for blokes unless you keep yourself clean shaven - which i don't.

Anyway - cyclists have less to fear from pollution than motorists according to a Friends of the Earth report from the late 90s.

 

[Major Tom]

I read about a study a few months ago that said all the benefits of riding a bike are pretty much cancelled out by the pollution on London's streets, even if you wear a mask. Kind of depressing, really. Sorry – dont have a link and can't remember where I read it.

was it sponsored by the association of british drivers?

I've read pretty much the opposite - cyclists live longer and are healthier, even with the pollution.

 

[gentlegreen]

Ten years ago I saw loads of cyclists wearing them - now I see just about none.

I deduce from that they're pretty useless. - especially for blokes unless you keep yourself clean shaven - which i don't.

Anyway - cyclists have less to fear from pollution than motorists according to a Friends of the Earth report from the late 90s.

Except that I believe the assumption was that cyclists ride in the gutter

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[Major Tom]

Except that I believe the assumption was that cyclists ride in the gutter

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Shall I just fuck off now?

 

[gentlegreen]

Shall I just fuck off now?

I wasn't getting at you !

If I remember correctly most pollution is in the middle of the road.

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[Major Tom]

I wasn't getting at you !

If I remember correctly most pollution is in the middle of the road.

.

oops, sorry

well - it was FoE doing the study - and cyclists don;t travel bumper to bumper with other vehicles like cars do - so we don't automatically get the pollution in our faces - unlike motorists.

And pollution disperses very quickly after leaving the exhaust pipe. Cyclists proabably suffer from effetcs of pollution about same as pedestrians or those using public transport.

 

[Zaskar]

Cars produce little pollution that is dangerous to cyclists, mostly co2. To do anything, well check out the filter on a gas mask, and they dont last long. A fashion rip off worn by geeks.

 

[gentlegreen]

I indulge in the odd bowl of herbal life-enhancement so it would be hard to tell if I was "being "polluted" by traffic. (ooer - the logic there is that I indulge in "self-pollution" fnaar fnaaar ).

A good healthy cough reflex is one of the few useful things my mum taught me

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[alfajobrob]

I got a Respro one that I used about twice, like some of the others I found it really annoying & hard to breathe.

Still if anyone wants to try one, just PM me & I'd be more than happy to post it FOC.

 

[bugsy7]

I suspect it's more of a political statement - like the cyclist who I sometimes see who is not only eschewing the cycle path provided (which I am more than happy to use myself) but is riding in the middle of the road up the hill

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Maybe riding in the middle of the road isn't so stupid an idea, considering that about 90% of jam-jars in the UK have exhausts pumping straight onto the pavement or into the gutter.

MsG