Your Lungs And You – 3
By Dr PK Singhal*
The perils of in-car pollution and why you need to be alert to it
Are you experiencing some pressing issues of late, like headaches, nausea or sore throat every time you use your car? And does it make you wonder why you are facing these problems after every car trip of yours? After all, you have all along been sure you’re safe from anything like air pollution because you are inside your car’s cabin in the first place. Then there’s no reason for you to fret about it. Air pollution, as you’ve been told, affects you only once you are out of your car.
If that’s what your thought process has been like then you better need to watch out. All of these symptoms that are bogging you after each car ride is a symptoms of in-car air pollution.
Also read: Why car rides make your lungs unhappy?
You need to know that constant exposure to in-car air is what’s causing these issues. Not just that, there’s even greater danger lurking under your nose. The car cabin air pollution can also lead to cancer and immune system disorders.
Aside from this, the place where you live also increases the impact of in-car air pollution on your health.
Over a long drive, your car’s cabin can accumulate particulate matter and gases that are very unhealthy to breathe. The more you drive, as many commuters do, the more your respiratory system is exposed to substantial pollution.
The car cabin is like a box with small holes for gas exchange. Drivers who commute in large or congested cities are at a particularly high risk of exposure to particulate matter and unhealthy air while driving. This is because, over the course of a long drive, your car cabin can accumulate levels of particulate matter and gases.
So, the immediate task at hand is to install an air purification system in your car that keeps you safe from these debilitating health hazards.
*MBBS, MD
(Your Lungs And You series is an awareness campaign run by an NGO, The Eminent, in collaboration with PetriMed CA, an air purification system with 99.999% filtration and coupled with UV-C disinfectation and air ioniser, using 8 – stage filtration technology).
