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Hello! I'm a final year design student at university, for my final year project I'm investigating city air pollution and designing a protective solution for commuters. It would be great if you could spare a bit of time, your knowledge and experiences with your commute and opinions on current wearables and pollution masks available.
If you wouldn't mind filling out a very quick questionnaire it would help my degree massively: https://goo.gl/forms/1Alm2ZDTY5gnz1RD2
Thank you and kind regards.
I worry less about what I’m breathing in and more about what keeps driving over me.
However I have filled out the questionnaire
stupidity to wear one unless you are just pootling along. a passive mask cannot flow the amount of air you need and is very restrictive
What tj said. My wife bought me a respro one years ago when I commuted daily through central Manchester. It lasted precisely 5 minutes as you just can't get the air in quick enough through them. I've completed your questionnaire though 🙂
Too obviously closed questions. Very boring and obviously trying to get answers to prove a point. Fair enough, its for a degree so it doesn't have to have any value as the paperwork won't be read by cycling experts, just those who with a design background.
my perception of masks whether correct or not is that they don't filter out any of the most damaging particles so are a waste of time. Is that right?
Filled in, was a bit dull mind...
I'd be slightly interested in particle size and whether you could open the cells up to make them slightly more breathable than the old Respro mask although I'm assuming they did there homework and didn't just spec some standard off the shelf neoprene etc?
I've seen more people lately using those masks that actively restrict the breathing to aid lung function when training, not sure if this is just a fad or if there's due benefit here.
I'd be interested to see if it's only related to cities, I guess it would be, although how widespread are the particles in the wider atmosphere in less densely populated areas if/when moved by wind? May expand usage slightly wider?
Re materials, keep the actual breathability/sweating and touch and feel next to the skin in mind, the harder materials could cause pressure build up on the skin and the softer ones may cause irritation through sweat build up.
As an aside I travelled to Japan last year and noticed a lot of people wearing face masks on the tube, I'd always presumed this was due to high pollution in central Tokyo but the air there was about the same as the air in a standard UK town, from what I heard it was more around respect for other citizens as the wearer would put it on if they had a cold and was sneezing, makes sense when commuting in very high footfall areas.
Seems a touch solution finding a problem, and it's been thought through many times at undergrad level so would be good to see a new take on things.
I graduated from DMU in Product back in 2003, you'll get a project out of it at least!
I'm glad your project isn't 'Making an interesting survey', that was mortally dull. I've answered anyway.
Done, good luck with the dissertation! FWIW I wouldn't wear a face mask as I don't think my exposure warrants it and I don't think I could ride and breath through a mask that filters pm2.5. However if I was going to design one I would conceal it in something that looked like a buff rather than a face mask.
I was going to start commuting again but the pollution was too much, wasnt even comfortable walking through it never mind cycling.
I thought about a mask but decided against it because a) I would look like I was trying to make a point b) feedback suggests they dont work.
I now walk in through a park(no cycling) which is quite nice except the section of road before the town proper and pedestrianisation starts.
To think people live breathing that crap 24/7 is disgusting.
Couldn't get past the first question, as it didn't give the option I wanted 😉
[quote=wilburt ]To think people live breathing that crap 24/7 is disgusting.
It is, and utter madness that in this day and age we still allow the air to be so polluted that people even consider needing a mask, when in any industrial situation PPE is the last resort if there is no other way to solve the problem (yes I know they're working on it, but it should have been done years ago).
Done. Needs more pyrotechnics and dancing girls.
They're silly things to wear in the UK - can't breathe properly on the bike and they're pointless anyway given our air quality.
More potential overseas - places like Beijing have far better air quality than they used to, and large numbers of cyclists, but still get a number of terrible days when you wouldn't fancy riding into work.
😆
Responded.
Wear a respro, throat felt scratchy beforehand. I view it as making my lungs more efficient at processing what oxygen gets through, heart rate is uncontrollable though 😆
http://www.csts.co.uk/face-fit-explained/
That may be of interest, especially for all the beardy hipsters 😉
In industry nowadays, fume and dust extraction at site of production of the dust is more important than ppe masks etc, masks clog up get soggy and dirty, harbour bacteria and make you look like a prat, why not do some research into alieveiating pollution, useing electric vehicles/hydrogen/battery etc,also bikes for commuting and shorter commutes.
The only safe mask is one with an oxygen supply, and dont forget all those naughty pollution particles, in cars, buses and your workplace that come in through the door or windows,then theres all those same particles you have on your clothes and are also absorbed through the skin.
Done, possibly more swearing than the average response.
In industry nowadays, fume and dust extraction at site of production of the dust is more important than ppe masks etc,
This has always been the case, it's just that people these days are much more informed.
PPE is always a last resort and you should look to design out any risks to eliminate or reduce the need for PPE.
Lots of people blaming the motor vehicle polution!!
What about coal/wood burners????????????
They're silly things to wear in the UK - can't breathe properly on the bike and they're pointless anyway given our air quality.
Not pointless(do need to be of correct material and fit as some above have pointed out) but agree they are difficult to breathe through, I've tried
As an asthmatic at this time of year my main pollution issue is with the new fangled wood burners!!!!!!! i have an award winning bakery nearby who fires up their wood burning ovens at approx 5pm. If I go out to do anything outside I have to take a few puffs of my inhaler beforehand and even then I struggle to breathe...
On my short commute through my rural town it is the same,I use a buff to cover my mouth/nose.... On the frosty mornings/evenings there is a distinct blue "haze" of smoke in the air. love the wet/windy days 😀
I work in a dusty factory atmosphere, we have had mask fit and regular respiratory checks. As an asthmatic I score well above average for my (auld) age except for the oxygenating part of the test!!
Done! 🙂
my perception of masks whether correct or not is that they don't filter out any of the most damaging particles so are a waste of time. Is that right?
Right. I personally believe they could potentially make things worse by making the user think they have protection behind a chugging bus, whilst sucking up the PM2.5
OP
Do you mean whilst commuting on a bike? or commuting in a car?