Many people consider cycling to be a healthy activity, and for the most part, it is. It builds up muscle tone, it’s good for the heart, and it’s relaxing too. Many people now choose to cycle to work, but cycling in towns and cities now presents a new danger. Here comes the cycling mask.
Cyclists are well aware of the dangers of cycling in heavy traffic and go to great lengths, so they don’t have an accident. Pollution and smog are increasing in our towns and cities. These now pose a new health hazard to anyone cycling in urban areas.
Even cycling through the countryside can pose health risks if you suffer from hay fever or asthma, as you have no shelter from the pollen in the air.
Protect yourself when cycling using a cycling pollution mask. It will filter out any harmful chemicals in the air as well as block any particles suspended in the air. The pollution-mask may look a little uncomfortable, but if you get one that fits you correctly, you will enjoy many healthier cycle rides.
Cycling gets the heart pumping, but it also means you tend to breathe through your mouth. This way, you take in more air, but taking in larger lungfuls of air may leave you gasping for breath.
In towns and cities, smog and pollution is at an all-time high, and it’s getting worse. Exhaust fumes from traffic contain hazardous gases, so cycling through traffic can be more of a nightmare than you think.
While there is still uncertainty about how effective pollution masks are, it never hurts to take precautions where your health and well being are concerned. There are some health problems where air pollution masks may be able to help and some which they can help you prevent.
There are many different chemicals and gases which make up air pollution and smog, and here are just a few and how they can adversely affect your health.
- Carbon monoxide: One of the leading causes of carbon monoxide in our air is from exhaust fumes. Breathing in too much carbon monoxide can negatively affect the amount of oxygen in the blood. As this oxygen is vital to all the organs in the body, this can cause coughs, fatigue, confusion, and even heart problems.
- Nitrogen oxides: Nitrogen dioxide is just one of these gases, and it mostly comes from exhaust fumes. Any form of combustion in the air causes nitrogen oxides, and this includes some sectors of industry. Apart from its rather unpleasant smell, it can also cause inflammation of the lining of the lungs, which can result in coughs, bronchitis, and asthma.
- Ground-level ozone: When nitrogen oxides react with certain other chemicals, known as Volatile Organic Compounds such as those found in exhaust fumes, it forms ground-level ozone. Ozone is known to cause coughs and trigger asthma attacks as it irritates the lining in the nose, lungs, and airways. It can also irritate the eyes and nose.
- Particulate matter: This covers a multitude of things, and can also include some very harmful substances. Particulate matter refers to all particles suspended in the air. It includes such things as soot from fires, pollen from plants, general dirt, and dust. Unfortunately, thanks to the ever-increasing smog, these particles don’t disperse and stay locked in the air. Breathing these is can have a very nasty effect on your health.
- Lead: This is caused mainly by the combustion of coal, so it is more prevalent in manufacturing areas. Lead can cause kidney problems, gastrointestinal problems, and even damage to the nervous system.
To filter out these chemicals and particles when you breathe, you need a cycling pollution mask. With their help, you can cycle wherever you want to know that you are not breathing in pollution and smog.
There is no doubt that prevention is better than cure. Most masks will filter out 95% upwards so they really can help to keep you prevent some unpleasant illnesses.
There are many health problems a mask can help you prevent, and here are just a few.
Allergies/asthma
Asthma and allergy sufferers are the ones who suffer most when smog and pollution levels are at their highest. Any pollutants in the air, such as exhaust fumes, pollen, or smoke, have more of an effect on these sufferers as these pollutants irritate the airways.
The particulate matter, especially the tiny bits which you can’t see, can often get into the lungs too, and if you’re breathing through your mouth, this is far more likely to happen. The inflammation of the airways and an asthma attack is highly possible. Similarly, allergy sufferers can have their allergies triggered by the irritants in the air. If you are exposed to air pollution often enough, it could also trigger asthma in those who don’t already have it.
A cycling pollution mask can help protect you from asthma attacks caused by exposure to pollution by filtering out harmful chemicals and particles in the air.
Persistent coughs, bronchitis, and respiratory problems
Pollution can also be the cause of persistent coughs. Directly breathing in particulate matter is cause enough, but when you look more closely at some of the other chemicals in the air, it’s no surprise those exposed to pollution start coughing.
Exhaust fumes are a real hazard in towns, particularly as traffic moves slowly, so cars create more emissions. The combination of nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons, the ground-level ozone and dust, all combine to make a very unpleasant environment.
One study has shown that pollutants in the air can also trigger the nerve endings in the lungs, which in turn triggers a cough. A cycling pollution mask can block these pollutants and stop them from triggering this reaction.
Headaches/migraines
If you’re not breathing in clean air, it’s no surprise you could get a headache, and migraine sufferers are particularly vulnerable to high pollution levels.
We all know that the body relies on clean air to function correctly. The impurities in the air, such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter, are known to cause headaches. Overexposure to them can also cause persistent headaches or migraines.
A cycling pollution mask can help prevent headaches caused by air pollution as it will help you to breathe in purer, cleaner air.
Healthier exercise
When you exercise, your heart rate increases as blood pumps around your body. Blood vessels deliver oxygen to all parts of your body, so if you are breathing in polluted air, your oxygen intake will be affected. As you are cycling, you are using up more oxygen as well, so you need to breathe in more to replace it.
If the air is polluted, this can affect how hard you feel you can exercise. You may feel tired a lot quicker than usual, and either have to cut your cycle trip short or cycle more slowly.
If you wear a cycling pollution mask, the air that you breathe in will be a lot cleaner. This cleaner air not only means your body is healthier in general, but by being able to exercise harder, you are getting far more physical benefits from your cycling.
A cycling pollution mask may seem bulky and awkward at first, but it’s worth persisting if you want to enjoy your cycling fully. If it is the right size and well fitted, you will soon be able to relax while wearing it. For the best results, keep the filters clean and change them as often as you need to. If they get too clogged up, the mask won’t be able to do its job.
As you get used to your mask, you’ll soon feel the benefit of wearing it. You’ll feel fitter, healthier, and more alert, particularly when cycling in high-density urban areas. With pollution and smog set to rise in all our major cities, the one thing you won’t need to worry about is cycling on a high pollution day: your mask means you can cycle anytime you want to.
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