Car Brakes May Be , Releasing Dangerous Particles , With an Adverse Impact on Health.
'Newsweek' reports that new research suggests that braking in your car could have a surprising impact on your health.
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According to a new study in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,' particles released by vehicle brakes may be more damaging than car exhaust.
The research found that 55% of non-exhaust pollution is made up of brake-wear particles, with around 35% of those particles being airborne.
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Those particles can then be breathed in by people, or absorbed by soil or bodies of water.
The toxicity and health effects of brake wear particles are largely unknown, Manabu Shiraiwa, Study co-author and professor of aerosol chemistry at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), via 'Newsweek'.
Recent results from my lab indicate that they may induce oxidative stress, but more research is needed, Manabu Shiraiwa, Study co-author and professor of aerosol chemistry at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), via 'Newsweek'.
On the bright side, these particles are electrically charged, which means they could more easily be removed from the air than neutral particles.
On the bright side, these particles are electrically charged, which means they could more easily be removed from the air than neutral particles.
We found that up to 80% of aerosol particles emitted from braking are electrically charged, and that many of them are in fact highly charged, Adam Thomas, Study co-author and a doctoral candidate at UCI, via 'Newsweek'.
'Newsweek' reports that these emissions are often the worst in areas occupied by lower-income earners, who stand to bear the brunt of the resulting health impacts.
These areas are often in poorer communities and highlight an important aspect of environmental justice that has been largely overlooked, Barbara Finlayson-Pitts, Study co-author and an emeritus professor of chemistry at UCI, via 'Newsweek'
