Heavy Traffic on Marylebone Road in     downtown London.

A british study shows, that cyclists and pedestrians that use busy streets in cities inhale up to ten times more harmful particles than people using less busy streets. Walking along the busy London Marylebone Road during 45 minutes equals smoking one cigarette, in this respect.

This was calculated by researchers from the Imperial college in London. Small particles, in particular those from diesel engines, are harmful to the lungs. They affect all people, but they are even more harmful to people suffering from asthma or heart disease. Children that grow up closer than 500 meter to a busy road have a 50 percent higher chance to acquire an airway disease. This was demonstrated by the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the UK. Moreover, in Europe, several 100.000’s of people die prematurely each year as a result of inhaling harmful particles.

While some countries in the EU have active policies that stimulate the use of soot filters on diesel vehicles, others are still reluctant. However, citizens themselves may reduce the amount of harmful particles they inhale dramatically. They may achieve that by walking only a few meters further away from the street - on the other side of the sidewalk - already. Choosing alternative, less busy routes to school or work may do the same.

(Source: de Volkskrant; 10-04-2007, photograph from Wikimedia Commons)