An Unexpected Way Driving Could Cause Cancer

An Unexpected Way Driving Could Cause Cancer

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For most people, driving to work is fairly routine. You wake up and try to pull yourself together, swinging your feet over the bed. You might get up and read for a bit, eat breakfast, and then get ready for the day.

You then get in your car and head towards work.

And this is where your day can become dangerous. It’s not just that you’re getting into a car at 7 in the morning when you’re still half asleep, surrounded by other people who are also half-asleep, although that does make it more dangerous (especially with Daylight’s Savings Time- but we won’t even get into that). No, some of the real dangers you will experience will be silent.

It’s that garbage truck streaming down the road next to you or that old Cadillac idling next to you. That’s right the pollution you’re immersing yourself in can cause cancer. Medicine News Today identified why pollution is stronger in cities.

At intersections, vehicles slow down, stop, rev up to move when lights turn green, and they are closer together.

This leads to levels of peak particle concentration at a signalized intersection that are 29 times higher than those found in free-flowing traffic. In addition, the cars move slowly, so that drivers are exposed for longer. As the output is ongoing, the pollution does not disperse but lingers and accumulates.
As a result, cars waiting in traffic jams or at red lights contain up to 40 percent more pollution than those that are moving.
[…]
To reduce the amount of pollution exposure while waiting in traffic jams and at traffic lights, the authors suggest that, weather permitting, motorists should close car windows and switch off the fan. This, they say, can reduce the chance of breathing in hazardous levels of air pollution by 76 percent.

So weather permitting, you could roll your windows up. But then there’s a distinct possibility of getting fairly hot.

You could also ride a bike, which keeps you in the open air, take an electric rail if your city has it, or even use electric cars to produce less.
Those are all preventative to a point, some helping you specifically and some giving the environment a boost. But for yourself, since this seems to be inevitable, take care of your health in other ways.

Be sure to eat foods that are non-inflammatory, and give your kidneys and liver extra help so they can reduce toxins in your body. An annual heavy-metals cleanse will also be a good way to give your body a detox so it runs more efficiently.