Bicyclists & pedestrians inhale less pollutants

Air pollution by Stefan Gara

It doesn't take Albert Einstein to figure out that bicycling and walking create less pollution than driving.

But how about breathing in the pollutants? Perhaps being out there on or near the street doing cardiovascular exercise makes you breathe more pollutants than an automobile driver?

It turns out that exactly the opposite is the case:

Driving is more hazardous than anyone knew: A heavy commuter inhales more pollution while driving than in the entire rest of the day, a new study finds. . . .

And a study in London found people in taxis, buses, and cars all inhale substantially more pollution than cyclists and pedestrians. . . .

"Shortening your commute and spending less time in the car will significantly reduce your total body burden of harmful pollutants," Fruin said.

Read more on LiveScience.

The study on pollutant levels found that

On average, taxi passengers were exposed to more than 100,000 ultrafine particle counts per cubic centimeter. Bus travelers were exposed to just under 100,000 and people in cars about 40,000.

Pedestrians and bicyclists, meanwhile, were exposed to counts of just 5,000 and 8,000, respectively.