1. Home Page
2. Special Deals
3. London Hostels
4. Prague Hostels
5. Edinburgh Hostels
6. Amsterdam Hostels
7. Berlin Hostels
8. Bruges Hostels
9. Brighton Hostels
10. BathHostel
11. Newquay Hostels
12. Paris Hostels
13. Group Bookings
14. Budget Hotels & Apartments

You are here: Backpacker Resources > Healthy Living > Part 53 - Take a Deep Breath

Part 53 - Take a Deep Breath

This month I thought it was time for a breath of fresh air. Yes, a combination of a trip to Paris and a couple of flights set me thinking about the potential risks of polluted air. We are all aware of the risks of smoking, even in the passive sense, but do we pay as much attention to the health effects of the tonnes of exhaust fumes, pumped out into the atmosphere every day? Those of you who have already travelled a little may have memories of a particularly polluted city. My personal memories include being stuck behind a car slowly working its way through a market in Bangkok. Already a heavily polluted city, this experience made me realise the significance of each individual contribution to the smoggy dome under which it lies.

The Risks of Breathing Dirty Air

Immediate effects include irritation to the respiratory system, most notably the nose and the throat, and also the eyes. This can be very uncomfortable and leads to an increased risk of infection in the throat and chest. But the short term effects can go further, inducing headaches and nausea as the body reacts to chemicals that are essentially poisonous. Asthmatics must take extra care as the likelihood of an attack increases drastically as air quality deteriorates. This may be a little worrying, but far more so are the potential long-term effects of exposure to polluted air. These include recurrent respiratory disease, heart disease and even lung cancer - just like smoking.

Avoiding These Risks

The most obvious response is to stop polluting, but until the collective population take on the same mentality, we are still at risk. Atmospheric pollutants can be gasses such as nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, emitted from the various different types of combustion in automobile engines, jet engines, factories and power stations. Furthermore, chemical emissions are often coupled with dust particles which can be equally harmful and are often the biggest irritants. I’m not referring to household dust here but rather the fine grains held in the air!

The main way to avoid the risk is to stay clear of sources emitting such chemicals. Obviously a life restricted to the countryside may be far from ideal for many reasons, but in the city there are several things that we can do to stay clear of the nasty spots. The first, particularly applicable to travellers in large polluted cities, is avoiding road travel, especially in open vehicles like motorbikes and tuk-tuks, and also cars without air conditioning. Personal experience tells me that many Thai taxis are equipped with air conditioning in the form of compressed clean air which is slowly released into the interior – an immense comfort after a day in the smog. Open air train lines are also a better option, given the exhaust-to-traveller ratio. The latter method will also minimise your contribution to air pollution.

Finally, epidemics aside, what about face masks as a means of filtering one’s air intake? A common choice for road cyclists, they are strongly recommended as a travel accessory for use in exceptional circumstances. They might not be conversational or fashionable but they make one hell of a difference when a tuk-tuk is the best travel option available.

Flying

Those of you travelling by aeroplane may well be aware of the environmental effects of aviation. Admittedly, this is almost the only way to reach some far flung destinations but is there a way to minimise the harmful effects of this highly efficient form of transport? Airline companies often have sections on their websites devoted to greener flying and including this information in your pre-flight research often gives rise to the green options avialable. Also, remember that short-haul flights are more polluting, impractical and time consuming than their train line counterparts, so do your research and let it influence your travel decisions!

This is David Haw - currently planning a weekend of biking in the countryside, taking a deep breath and saying: “until next month.”