In cars, pollution doesn’t come from exhaust alone.
In cars, pollution doesn’t come from exhaust alone. It also comes from wear and tear on roads, tires, and brakes. According to new research, tiny bits of dust cast off by brake pads may inflict more harm than car exhaust.
For the study, published in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, researchers grew human lung cells in a lab and exposed them to dust from car brakes and from diesel tailpipes, finding that brake dust caused greater injury to the cells.
Surprisingly, newer brake pads proved more harmful than older ones, which were made with asbestos. Asbestos, which is known to cause cancer, was used to stop brakes from overheating. While newer pads are made without asbestos, they contain high levels of copper, which can aggravate asthma and raise the risk of an early death when inhaled. Researchers found they could minimize the harm from newer pads by treating brake dust with a chemical that neutralizes copper.
Read more at Yale Environment 360
Photo Credit: Hans via Pixabay
