From: KING5, 5/4/08
Your risk on the road may not come from a crash.
“The air coming into your car is the worst air in the whole city,” said Scott Fruin, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health at USC Keck School of Medicine.
An electric car tracked just how much pollution drivers are exposed to. Los Angeles commuters spend an average of 90 minutes sucking in diesel fuel fumes and ultra fine particles or UFP every day. These particles, smaller than 1/1,000 the size of a human hair, can enter the bloodstream and disperse throughout the body. They have been linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
“They get deepest into your lungs. They get into your bloodstream, and those are particularly high on freeways and busy roads,” said Fruin.
The American Heart Association found high concentrations of diesel exhaust increases clot formation by almost 25 percent, which can lead to deadly cardiovascular problems.