"In the UK, poor air quality is thought to kill 30,000 people a year, as well as harming babies in the womb and exacerbating conditions from asthma to dementia. Most of the air pollution I was breathing in came from traffic billowing invisibly out of exhaust pipes, but also released by the wear and tear of tyres and brakes. Prof Jonathan Grigg, from Queen Mary University of London, calls this spot his "exposure chamber"."
"Shouting over the blare of revving engines and sirens, he tells me most people incorrectly assume air pollution is all filtered out by our nose or mouth, or is trapped and then brought up out of the lungs. "What we're looking at is whether the smallest particles are not only staying in your lung, but moving across into your bloodstream and going around your body," says Grigg."
A volunteer stood alongside four lanes of busy central London traffic for ten minutes and inhaled polluted air containing exhaust and material from tyre and brake wear. A finger-prick blood sample examined under a microscope showed tiny black carbon-and-chemical particles attached to red blood cells. Researchers note that the smallest particles may not remain only in the lung but can move across into the bloodstream and circulate around the body. Poor air quality in the UK is estimated to cause 30,000 deaths annually and to harm fetal development and exacerbate conditions such as asthma and dementia. The findings indicate systemic exposure to traffic-derived particulates.
Read at www.bbc.com
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