poisoning yourself by riding - Page 3 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

02-09-2007, 03:27 PM

But, your posts come across as saying you haven't heard anything from the
doctors that you AGREE with--not that they haven't said anything. It sounds
as if you haven't heard what you want to hear, so you call the doctors
"jokes." Did they put you in one of those sealed diagnostic chambers? A
friend of mine had that done once and the doc told him that he had a virus
which just takes its own time to resolve.....

02-09-2007, 05:42 PM

On Feb 8, 8:44 pm, "[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:
> On Feb 8, 5:29 pm, Mark Hickey <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > "[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> > >[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> > >Has anyone here experienced chronic lung sickness that can be traced
> > >back to when they started riding more/harder?
>
> > >I think I have developed chronic lung inflammation after an enjoable
> > >season of riding on urban CA. By riding a road bike alongside with
> > >cars you are reduce polution and get in shape, but you are poison
> > >yourself with car emissions. Cyclists, especially when going hard,
> > >expose their lower airways and alveoli to pollution at least 10 times
> > >more compared to the case of no exertion (i.e. compared to car
> > >drivers). A cyclist going hard passes at least 100 lliters of air
> > >through his/her lungs per minute (compared to ~10 liters per minute
> > >when not exertiing, assuming 500 ml average breaths and ~20 breaths
> > >per minute). Not everyone will develop problems, but susceptible
> > >people will. If I could go back, I would have switched to m.biking or
> > >trail running.
>
> > Hmmmmm... the information I've read suggests that the air the cyclists
> > breath is CLEANER than that of the motorist (at least, those in a
> > closed vehicle), because of the trapping of the noxious gasses in the
> > ****pit, and the fact that they tend to trail along nose to tail.
> > You're absolutely right about us using more air though - but I have to
> > wonder how much getting in "in and out in a hurry" matters to how much
> > nasty stuff actually gets absorbed.
>
> The air could be cleaner (I doubt it... I kee my car windows closed
> anyway), but it would have to be 10 times cleaner to make biking safer
> than driving.

And where is that air that you're breathing coming from? If anything
it apparently is worse in a car than as cyclist since the car air
intakes are lower than the cyclist's air intakes and auto emissions
are less dense as distance from the ground increases.

02-10-2007, 10:06 AM

And where is that air that you're breathing coming from? If anything
> it apparently is worse in a car than as cyclist since the car air
> intakes are lower than the cyclist's air intakes and auto emissions
> are less dense as distance from the ground increases.
>

I have heard that before also but it you keep the drafts and windows shut it
seems to me I smell nothing. It may be odorless but if you keep everything
shut they do not seem to account for that. So it would depend.
Stopping at a light has got to be the worst too since they are all spewing
and you not being able to get out of the way of the carbon monoxide.

02-10-2007, 04:04 PM

nash wrote:
> And where is that air that you're breathing coming from? If anything
>> it apparently is worse in a car than as cyclist since the car air
>> intakes are lower than the cyclist's air intakes and auto emissions
>> are less dense as distance from the ground increases.
>>
>
> I have heard that before also but it you keep the drafts and windows shut it
> seems to me I smell nothing. It may be odorless but if you keep everything
> shut they do not seem to account for that. So it would depend.
> Stopping at a light has got to be the worst too since they are all spewing
> and you not being able to get out of the way of the carbon monoxide.
>
>
The upside of this is that cars are not hermetically sealed, no matter
what the maker would have you believe. If the car is moving you get flow
through the car, along with you daily dose of engine leftovers.
Bill Baka