How to cycle in the city without getting poisoned by air pollution

“Am I not destroying my lungs?” asks Sofia as she pedals towards her office in a large urban center. The studies are clear: cycling is good for your health despite pollution and the risk of accidents. However, in the city, cyclists regret breathing air of variable and poor quality. For the WHO (World Health Organization) “air pollution is one of the greatest environmental risks to health”. Air pollution increases the risk of stroke, lung cancer, heart and respiratory conditions like asthma, and even psychiatric illnesses. But then, what reflexes should you adopt to take care of your health while cycling? Positioning at red lights, alternative routes... Le Figaro gives you some advice on how to best avoid pollution in the city.

“Fine particles are distributed along a gradient. The closer we are to road traffic, the more the concentrations of pollutants increase. Cyclists are more exposed than pedestrians, but less than people in cars,” reports Basile Chaix, research director at Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) who works on several health-related studies. public policy in the city, particularly in relation to the environment, mobility and health. “When we move a few meters away from traffic, we reduce the sources of exposure. Cycle lanes subject the cyclist to lower exposure than cycle lanes,” indicates Basile Chaix. Other recommendations make it possible to limit exposure to urban air pollution, such as staying away from the rear of trucks and buses with thermal engines. At red lights, there are spaces reserved for bicycles which allow them to move in front of cars, keeping them away from the exhaust pipes.

During a day with heavy air pollution or in an area with heavy road traffic, adapting your level of effort helps reduce the entry of pollutants into our body. “Appearance plays a role, especially in the most exposed areas. The greater the physical activity, the greater the volume of air inhaled. We must reduce the force of the effort in very polluted areas or times,” indicates the researcher. The cyclist can also adapt his route. “It may seem appropriate to take an alternative, less frequented route,” reports Basile Chaix, who specifies, however, that it is also necessary to take into consideration the safety equipment for the bicycles present on the route.

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Wearing a mask is not effective in protecting yourself from pollution in the city. A study by ANSES (National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety) published in 2018 shows that laboratory measurements of the anti-pollution effectiveness of cyclist masks offered on the market are far from correspond to measurements in real conditions. For ANSES, the effectiveness of the mask depends on several parameters such as its adherence to the face, the types of particles filtered, the individual's lung ventilation rate, or the maintenance of the mask. To make matters worse, wearing a mask while cycling generates discomfort causing an increase in respiratory flow, favoring the entry of pollutants into the lungs. It could also, reports Basile Chaix, generate harmful changes in behavior: “when we wear a mask, we feel protected, so we will not respect other behavioral recommendations”.

In any case, even in the city the risk-benefit balance leans in favor of cycling rather than other modes of transport: “Serious studies are quite clear, cycling is recommended for physical activity. The gains in physical activity outweigh the risks linked to exposure to polluted air, accidents and noise levels,” emphasizes Basile Chaix.