Screenshot of time-lapsed air quality close to the time I woke up from AIRnow.gov
Thick, hazy, smoky; that’s the air in Seattle these days. My eyes watered yesterday from the thick. Fires from BC, Canada are blowing down to Seattle and sitting in the valley. We are in the midst of hot, stagnant weather so nothing is really blowing the air out once it sits here.
I wondered about biking to and from work. Am I safe? Am I going to hurt my lungs? I didn’t really think so. I have no existing lung issues, and I don’t really exert myself commuting. Plus, I don’t have a better option to get to work. I could take the bus, but that opens up a whole other realm of unpleasant inhalants.
The internets say I am going to be just fine. Most research focuses on the pollution caused by the carbon monoxide in car exhaust. This is a special pollutant for cyclists because we are literally a few feet from exhaust pipes the entire time we ride in traffic. Plus, we can't really escape breathing fumes in a downtown setting. The best thing to do is ride fast and pick the best route. Pollution is the most deadly public health hazard second only to smoking. Still, riding a bike in pollution is better than no exercise at all. With smoke pollutants, fast is my only option. Getting out of the air quickly is more beneficial than exerting/breathing less intensely.
“...riding a bike is still healthier than not riding. Bike commuting is a healthier alternative to driving to work—which also happens to expose you to air pollution. In 2015, a study from the University of Copenhagen elaborated on this, suggesting that the positive impacts of exercise are more important for our health than the negative effects of air pollution. And in March of this year, the University of Cambridge published findings that the health benefits of walking and cycling outweigh the negative effects of air pollution on health, even in cities with high levels of air pollution. ”
So, yeah, I got a headache after commuting today. But it's not likely to cause any long-term issue. I am lucky that I live in a region that scores higher for air quality than most of the rest of the world. All sources agree that riding is still better than not riding. Even the EPA suggests riding a bike to combat poor air quality. Sure, riding a bike isn't going to put out any fires. Still, I am doing my tiny little part to combat climate change and air pollution every day ride. That's a good enough reason for me to push through the haze.