Tag: Traffic

The Hanoi Commuter’s Survival Guide: Essential Gear for Clean Air

Navigating Hanoi’s bustling streets? Don’t forget the most important piece of gear for protecting your lungs – a high-quality pollution mask. Whether you’re commuting by motorbike, bicycle, or on foot, Hanoi’s air pollution poses a serious threat to your health.

Why Commuters Need Extra Protection

Commuters in Hanoi are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution. Spending hours each day exposed to traffic fumes and dust can take a toll on your respiratory system. Motorbike riders, in particular, inhale a concentrated dose of pollutants as they weave through traffic.

A pollution mask acts as a barrier between you and the harmful particles in the air, filtering out PM2.5, dust, exhaust fumes, and other pollutants. This is crucial for protecting your lungs and overall health, especially if you spend a significant amount of time commuting in Hanoi.

person on a motorbike wearing a mask

Choosing the Right Mask for Your Commute

Not all masks are suitable for commuting. Here’s what to look for in a mask that will keep you safe and comfortable on your daily journey:

  • High Filtration Efficiency: Look for masks that filter out at least 95% of PM2.5 particles. N95, FFP2, or KN95 masks are good options.
  • Breathability: Choose a mask that allows for easy breathing, especially if you’re physically active during your commute.
  • Comfort: A mask that fits well and doesn’t irritate your skin will make your commute more enjoyable.
  • Durability: Invest in a mask that can withstand daily wear and tear.

Additional Tips for Commuters

  • Check the Air Quality: Before heading out, check the air quality index (AQI) for Hanoi. If the AQI is high, consider taking alternative transportation or adjusting your route to avoid heavily polluted areas.
  • Wear Your Mask Properly: Make sure your mask fits snugly over your nose and mouth to prevent pollutants from leaking in.
  • Replace Your Filters Regularly: Most masks have replaceable filters. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for replacing filters to ensure optimal protection.
  • Clean Your Mask: If your mask is reusable, clean it regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

person on a motorbike wearing a mask

If you’re looking for a mask specifically designed for motorbike riders, check out our article ‘Hanoi’s Motorbike Madness: The Best Masks for Two-Wheeled Commuters.’

How often do you hear yourself saying: “I can’t stand pollution in traffic!”

All of us have been there. We have hated and been irritated by the smell of polluted air during traffic. I mean, who can blame us when it can have adverse effects not only on the environment but also on our health. It is stated that road transport is responsible for a significant amount of air pollution in cities and towns. Many industrialized countries have seen the harmful consequences of traffic fumes that pollute the atmosphere. That is why they are looking for various measures to minimize and reduce their risks.

The Risk of Diesel

One of the many examples of air pollutants is diesel exhaust or fumes. Although nowadays, the composition of diesel fuel has become less toxic, studies have shown that inhaling it for long periods can have acute or short term health effects such as: causing stress to the brain.

According to the Director of UCLA’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, John Froines, “Diesel has very powerful effects on the lungs.” This statement is also backed by an EPA risk assessment expert, Charlie Ris, who stated that regularly inhaling a concentration of diesel particles, over five micrograms per cubic meter of air, can lead to a “spectrum of respiratory problems.” 

Thus, it can be said that long-term exposure to such kind of air pollution during traffic might lead to awful repercussions that we don’t want to experience.

What Happens?

That putrid smell of gasses surrounding us can quickly remind us how uncomfortable it is to commute around a city. When we get home our noses and throats a

re congested and filled with mucous.

We get a cough and it takes forever for it to go away. On a road trip the dust filled air gets into our cars or around our visors and enters deep into our lungs.

The smell of clean air or freshly cut grass reminds us that there are far better areas to be in than traffic. That’s why we hate being stuck in a traffic jam. The unregulated vehicles spewing out gasses and particles are often the main cause for the pollution in the air and we have to be there. We often don’t have a choice. Rush hour is there because we all want to get to a certain place at a certain time. Sometimes however, we can choose to travel while there is no traffic.

What Can We Do?

One of the best ways to avoid or reduce exposure to traffic air pollutants is to wear a mask.

Most motorbike riders know already of this fact. But a constant reminder is needed because they are the ones who will be most exposed to the pollutants. As also stated in the article, “THOUSANDS NOW WEAR pollution masks who thought they never would,” one should wear masks, especially in traffic-congested cities.

Pollution masks will serve as protection from many pollutants and not just diesel fumes. They can also be a barrier against viruses and bacteria that you might be inadvertently exposed to. They can also serve as a preventive measure since the wearer can use it to avoid spreading illnesses.

Congestion and traffic-related pollution can be really frustrating since they are the biggest contributors to air pollution. Rapid industrialization doesn’t only make it easier for us. However, we should keep in mind that there are simple solutions and ways that we can counteract the negative effects from happening to us.

Pollution masks are prime examples that every little thing will count when it comes to protection from harmful or toxic air quality.

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The Rush Hour Effect and the Worst Times to be Out on the Street

Rush hour - we’ve all heard of this phrase and perhaps we do every day. Indeed, it’s something that a lot of us avoid and that’s mostly so that we don’t end up late to work, school, or appointments.

Most of the times, it’s usually “Leave the house early so you don’t get stuck at rush hour,” or “Let’s leave for the mall after rush hour so we won’t be late.”

Indeed, rush hour is a hassle all over the world and it’s a day-to-day occurrence, especially during the weekdays. Here we outline how rush hour affects our lives.

A Common Problem

On an average, the rush hours all over the world are at 7am - 9am in the morning. This is usually the time where people drive going to work or school. Since most jobs and schools also open at this time, it’s no wonder that there are a lot of vehicles on the streets and roads. For the afternoon, it’s also usually at 3pm - 5pm, a common time work and school also end and where commuters rush to get home or to their after-work or after-school appointments. Traffic is now worse than it's ever been as the number of vehicles on streets at any time has drastically increased over the years.

Almost Everyone Has Cars

One of the biggest contributors to rush hour are personal vehicles. Imagine, there’s a single company with around 100 employees. Let’s say around 80% of those employees have their own vehicles. That’s bound to contribute to the traffic congestion. Let’s take LA for an example, in a 2017 study, it was found that 84% of commuters chose to drive going to work. Your vehicles are costing you more money than you think just sitting around in traffic. The average commuter wastes around 60 liters of fuel a year just sitting in traffic.

The Bigger the City, the Bigger the Congestion

Evidently, the bigger the city, the more businesses, schools, and companies there are. And that means more residents, more commuters, and more traffic congestion during rush hours. Congestion builds through the week from Monday through Friday. Traffic on Thursday is almost as bad as traffic on Friday! The bigger the city, the more traffic there is to get stuck in. In cities of over 1 million people, they spent an average of 71 hours stuck in traffic. These cities also experienced a road network that was congested for approximately 6 hours of the average weekday. According to the INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard, the top 10 most congested cities in the world are:

  1. Moscow, Russia – 210 hours lost in congestion
  2. Istanbul, Turkey – 157 hours
  3. Bogotá, Colombia – 272 hours
  4. Mexico City, Mexico – 218 hours
  5. São Paulo, Brazil – 154 hours
  6. London, United Kingdom – 227 hours
  7. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 199 hours
  8. Boston, MA, United States – 164 hours
  9. Saint Petersburg, Russia – 200 hours
  10. Rome, Italy – 254 hours

Not Just About Being Late

While we’re mostly concerned about punctuality when it comes to rush hour, there’s also another aspect where it creates a negative affect and that’s our health and the environment’s too. As more cars congest in the streets, the more we exposed we are to pollution from the exhausts that many vehicles emit. Bad driving behavior like driving and braking too fast can cause even more traffic buildup behind you. This is due to chain reactions.

The next time you get into rush hour, don’t just think about your appointment. Think about your respiratory health too! It is best to drive at a steady pace. Try to avoid rush hour by driving at other times, using apps like Waze to avoid traffic, and use public transport as much as you can. Vehicles and sitting in traffic is also very expensive. What are some of your opinions on rush hour?

Beyond the Haze: Protecting Your Lungs in Hanoi’s Polluted Environment

Is Hanoi’s Air Quality Affecting Your Health? Signs You Need a Mask

Don’t Let Hanoi’s Pollution Hold You Back: Your Guide to Breathable Masks

The Hanoi Commuter’s Survival Guide: Essential Gear for Clean Air

Hanoi’s Invisible Threat: How to Breathe Easy in a Polluted City

Can’t Breathe? Do These Breathing Exercises to Increase Your Lung Capacity!

Why Is Littering Heavily Controlled or Fined?

Where You Can Go in a Good Mask

Buy No Mask Until You’ve Made Sure of These Factors

The Trash Train – Tracking Pollution To The Dump

10 Things a City Can Do To Reduce Air Pollution

Improving the Air Levels of Cities with These 10 Things

In our environment today, breathing fresh air seems to be impossible. The air quality that we have now is slowly becoming a threat to public health, especially in big cities. We encounter a lot of cars roaming around and spreading pollution, and most of these have contributed to the death of 6.1 million people worldwide every year.

There is hope because here are 10 things we can do to improve air levels and encourage others to take charge. Changing how you live can save millions of lives.

#1 Traffic organization reduces congestion

The heavy flow of traffic can produce a lot of pollution in cities especially if cars do not undergo emission testing regularly. City planners should understand how traffic flows, and the areas from which most people are coming and where they are going. Dense residential areas are where people come from to go to work and go to after work. The roads leading to and from these areas will be the most affected by traffic congestion.

In some areas it is really difficult to change the traffic movement through bottlenecks, but there are ways that this can be dealt with. Redirecting traffic through other areas, but also organizing streets so that traffic flows in separate lanes before a bottle neck will help reduce the amount of traffic stuck at a congestion zone. Also, using technology to inform drivers of traffic up ahead can limit traffic. Similar to Google Maps function to see traffic in the path ahead, apps like Waze allow the same location tracking of where devices (and therefore people) are slowing down and then suggests alternative routes for drivers that need to get to the area they’re going to.

You can encourage your city to come up with a traffic plan. For example, suggesting to lessen the number of cars traveling in specific areas during certain hours is a good way to reduce bottlenecks in traffic.

#2 Public Transport

Instead of taking your own car to work, you can take public transportation. You can help lessen air pollution in the city in your own little way. Public transport promotes less exhaust fumes and more environmentally friendly especially subways and or double-decker buses. When you think about having to wait for your ride all the time, you usually look for an alternative.

Nobody likes to wait. However, in a big city, owning a vehicle and paying for the costs of running and parking one should sway your mind to leave transportation to the city. A city has to try it’s best to add routes for

every residential area, with enough stops and enough rides per hour so that the waiting time for riders is reduced. Subways and undergrounds work efficiently as well, and because the prices are usually subsidized by the city, they become an affordable option for the majority of city residents.

#3 Parks and Trees

Recreational areas are a must for big cities. Not only do people enjoy watching their kids play, but people can also relax under the shade of a big tree. A cities livability rating is determined by how people rate their lives living in that place. Parks allow people to exercise, relax and get fresh air.

The greener in a city, the more people enjoy being outside and enjoying nature. Actually, nature has proven to increase concentration and has lots of other benefits. Plus, a common fact about trees is that they remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, leaving us cleaner air to breathe.

#4 Air Management in Construction Zones

As cities grow, construction is imminent. The laws in place to manage pollution from construction are very important because it keeps residents safe. Specks of dust and debris caused by the construction sites in the city can contribute to air, water, noise and PM2.5 pollution. It is recommended for construction sites to install barriers like nets and barriers in place to contain dust within a construction site. Here are some ways that construction sites can reduce their pollution.

Air

  • Never burn waste materials
  • Use new machinery or keep diggers, excavators and anything with an engine maintained
  • Use low sulfur diesel
  • Use particulate filters and catalyst converters
  • Use water sprays and sprinklers to control the pollution
  • Use ‘on-tool’ extraction that remove exhaust directly where they are produced
  • Source local materials
  • Use renewable and sustainable materials
  • Wear appropriate Personal Protection Equipment

Water

  • Monitor and improve disposal of waste
  • Keep materials secure so that they don’t go into waterways
  • Cover up all drains during construction
  • Keep the road and footpath to the site clean at all times
  • Properly collect and treat wastewater

Noise

  • Use new and quiet tools
  • Limit working hours to be sociable as not to disturb residents. Notify them!
  • Put acoustic barriers in place
  • Ensure equipment is maintained
  • Switch off engines when not in use

Source

#5 Industrial Production Limiting

Several power plants within the city can harm people’s health and therefore, should be limited. If not, they should be asked to transfer to locations that are away from the public. These days it is easy to produce electricity with the power of the sun, water or wind. Coal power plants and other high polluting plants should be limited.

#6 Law on vehicles and fuel standards

Coding schemes should be modified to affect a city’s vehicles. his will lessen the volume of vehicles hourly, but also decrease the amount of pollution. Fuel standards are put in place so that vehicles emit less pollution. The age of engines and how they are maintained is monitored in many cities. Emissions stickers are only given to vehicles in America if the engine passes a yearly test. Many countries are lacking mandatory vehicle testing so this is really important for developing countries. Many developing countries also are not yet adhering to the best fuel standards. This means that there are more pollution emitting particles in the exhaust fumes.

#7 Large vehicle inspections

Large vehicles are the biggest contributors to black carbon that can be harmful to the public once inhaled. Minimized travel periods of these vehicles and emission testing certificates issued to these vehicles will definitely reduce pollution. Often large vehicles like excavators, tractors or trucks have larger engines which produce more exhausts. For more information on different vehicles and their pollution, see this article [link].

#8 Subsidize Green Energy

A renewable energy source is essential to reducing air pollution. Not having to depend on our fossil fuel energy sources is the way forward. Many countries are now jumping on the clean energy train, setting up solar panels, windmills and building more dams. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of countries running completely on nuclear and coal powered energy plants.

Let’s take a look at Iceland. 87% of it’s energy comes from hydro-power and the other 13% comes from geothermal power. Now Iceland is a small country with a small population but other countries can quickly catch up if they start investing in green energy

Take a look at the Netherlands, with thousands of windmills in the country and off the coast. The government has set up a subsidy for production of renewable energy in 6 different categories: biomass, geothermal, water, wind and sun. As follows, a wonderful example of how individuals can invest in green energy and even make money back from it in the future. They have made it super easy for any resident of The Netherlands to buy a part of a windmill. Once their investment has paid off, they can either use the energy their share produces in their own homes, or they can sell the energy they make.

#9 Trash Collection

Collecting trash should be done on a daily basis. Large numbers of residents who produce more than 1 kilo of trash each per day create a lot of trash. As someone who cares about the environment, you might recycle your trash. Recycling can lessen the amount of pollution caused by biodegradable garbage mixing with other types. The main thing a city can do to reduce trash fires is to collect trash at set times. If there aren’t enough collection trips per area, the trash is left behind.

n many places the trash is trouble for the residents so they decide to burn it. This is exactly what we don’t want to happen. Collecting trash and bringing it to a sorting center before it goes to a trash dump is necessary for any country to organize. Hiring private companies that can make money and pay salaries well is key to making sure everything is getting picked up. Additionally, keeping all of the collector’s equipment and vehicles should be maintained to be able keep the correct quota of trash pickups efficient and effective.

#10 Ban burning

Waste has chemicals that can pollute the air and suffocates people when burned. Take into account the banning of burning garbage within the city. There are different reasons why people burn things, but the biggest is a lack of education. People don’t have the luck of being brought up in a household that can afford a proper education for their children. When they grow up, they continue their bad habits like disposing of trash on the street and even burning it to get rid of it.

Some places simply have far too much trash, so they get tired of smelling the vile scent of choking. Sometimes it’s the only solution. That is where laws come in, and together with organized trash collection, burning can be stopped.

The burning of stubble to quickly prepare for a new crop season is another reason smoke fills city surroundings. These tactics of burning to increase the quality of soil can easily be changed by using the material that is normally burnt could be tilled. It can effectively be mixed back into the soil to reap the same rewards. Simply understanding the science behind how burning can affect us and educating those that don’t yet know is probably the best and only way forward to start making changes.

Conclusion

Start the change within yourself by encouraging and influencing others to do the same things as well. Help your city become less polluted for the better good of the community and for our future generations to enjoy. With these 10 tips for city standards and adjustments, our lives can improve. It will take hard work, a lot of planning, and policies for us to live in a paradise with no pollution, but we have to start somewhere!

How I Improved My Breathing In One Week (Outdoors Pt. 2)

Outdoor Air Pollution

Prevention

Check before you go out. Outdoors, avoid high density zones of air pollution. You can look up PM2.5 readings in certain areas using websites like aqicn.org or airvisual. To protect yourself against outdoor air pollution, it is most important to filter the air you breathe. Especially people with weaker immune systems need to be wary of what type of air they’re breathing.

Around 55% of our global population lives in urban areas. This means that we are often surrounded by less green, more construction, and more accelerating vehicles. Most of the time pollution is generated by numerous sources in various areas. Industrial factories, construction zones, and polluting vehicles all generate poor air quality. Fire zones are more likely to have poor air. Cranbrook Fire Zone shifting between medium and high danger levels ...The zone usually depends on dryness, but that qualifies where the fires may start. Once a fire has started, the pollution depends on the wind speed and direction. Look at 1 example of how coal plants spread their pollution.

A shape drawn around the exact location of burning can be drawn to inform people if the particles they breathe in that zone are unusually high.

A fire zone’s danger for our lungs is dependent on what is burning, and how the burning affects the surrounding area.

Dense areas (which cause traffic jams and idling)

can also be terrible areas for air pollution.

    1. Intersections
    2. Cross roads

      The panels show concentrations for NO2 (a), NOx (b) and PM10 (c).
      The panels show concentrations for NO2 (a), NOx (b) and PM10 (c).
    3. Near large roads

If you live near any of the above you might have noticed that opening your windows doesn’t get you much fresh air. Instead you see your levels rising because of the idling or accelerating vehicles. Having a purifier, keeping it on, and keeping windows closed during rush hours will be your best

  1. Construction zones
  2. Industrial zones where factories and other pollution generators are located

Different types of materials burning can be worse for you:

  1. Plastic
  2. Wood or Flora and Fauna, also can be a source of heat
  3. Waste (a mix of everything we throw away)
  4. Chemicals like Plastic and Rubber
    1. PETE or PET
    2. HDPE
    3. BOA
    4. Phthalates
    5. Persistent organic pollutants
    6. Oil
    7. Toxic metals
  5. MISC (polycarbonate, polylactide, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene, styrene, fiberglass, and nylon)

Types of Pollution

  • Gasses
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Combustion
  • Vapor

Color of Pollutants

White smoke = wet, moisture
Gray smoke = wood or light plastics
Brown smoke = wood
Black smoke = heavy fuels (petroleum based: plastics, rubber, chemicals)
Blue smoke = oil from old vehicles

Wind Movement

Horizontal or Vertical movement of wind carrying pollution.

  1. Atmospheric pressure. As heat is created on the earth’s surface during the day, the air expands and rises.
  2. Transport winds moves smoke quickly away from the source. Dispersion levels can differ depending on wind
  3. Low dispersion usually occurs at night when wind is stagnant. This is because the mixing height of air as hot air rises reduces in temperature.
  4. Measures to prevent burning during hours that have direct effects on large numbers of people can cause drastic pollution levels.
  5. We predict wind direction and the height of the atmosphere using weather balloons which report back temperature, pressure and GPS coordinates
  6. Places have high concentrations of particles when they are near traffic lights: where vehicles accelerate the most: traffic lights or busy and dense intersection.

Wearing a Mask

In many polluted places, it is suggested to wear a high quality pollution mask. Masks can be uncomfortable to wear at first, but the benefits of filtering the air you breathe far outweigh the negative effects of PM2.5 particles and gasses entering your lungs. If you’ve ever been on a motorcycle in heavy traffic, you already know what kind of exhaust and dust you can inhale. If you’re used to being in a closed vehicle like a car, a small car purifier might be the option for you. We suggest getting a mask with high quality filters and the ability to reuse the mask instead of disposing the whole mask. This is to reduce waste. Most of our masks have replaceable filters that can be removed and replaced when the filtration material has filled up.

Studies show that Indoor air pollution causes more deaths than outdoor air pollution. We spend most of our time indoors, and many people (especially in developing countries) still cook using open flame coal. However, being careful with the air we breathe and filtering the air that enters our lungs is the main way to prevent air pollution from causing respiratory problems.

Conclusion

Of course, prevention is the key to pollution. Education is the most important thing of all. In many places people simply don’t know the science that explains harming our bodies and atmosphere. The fact that we have come so far, burning almost everything to dispose of it worldwide, is alarming. We need to remember that with every action we take we can either improve our environment or drastically change it for the worse. If you would like to learn how to teach people how to reduce their environment applicable in different cultures, please take a look at this article on what poor people cannot afford to realize.

See how we can protect ourselves indoors. 

How Hanoi’s Streets Became Unhealthy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People are flocking to city centers all over the world, in search of better jobs in urban environments. For the people who design the roads and buildings in cities this requires significant planning. Without planning for the future, expensive mistakes can deter growth and have negative impact on housing, sanitation, education, and employment. Hanoi’s narrow streets and high tax on cars has led to an increased number of motorbike owners. This has recently led to pollution becoming dangerous to people’s health.

Emissions of all types are found in Hanoi’s air, including fine particles which lead to a large number of deaths per year. Particles (PM) as small as 2.5 micrometers lodge deep in our lungs, clogging arteries, making it harder to breathe. This irreversible effect is the reason scientists have been studying how safe it is to live in such an environment. PM10 particles are larger, and are usually in the form of dust. Blocking PM10 particles is easier than PM2.5 particles, and can be done with a simple cloth mask. Those masks however don’t block all the other particles or gasses.

There are more and more reasons coming to light that show how a city can become unhealthy.
• More people = more traffic.
• More electricity demand = more electricity production (usually without regulation, in the form of power plants).
• Smoking and cooking indoors = highly concentrated PM2.5 particles in indoor environments.
• Burning crops (called stubble burning) to make way for a new planting season = CO2 filled environment.
• Factory emissions and runoff = polluted water bodies and trash dumps.
• Dusty roads = increased dust in the air.
• Unregulated vehicles = filthy exhaust fumes in the air.

Looking at the history of the countries that now claim to have high air quality, we can see that developed countries like the U.S. went through similar pollution effects and had to fix them by developing specific regulations.

Here are some ways that we hope will slowly reduce the reasons a city is overly polluted.
• Efficient public transport solutions and use of bicycles and electric vehicles.
• Reaping the power from the sun, wind, and water.
• Regulations put in place to stop smoking indoors, and zero emission cooking stoves. Less use of Coal!
• Regulations against burning crops or stubble. As well as education of composting old crops.
• Removing factories using methods that pollute, and instead investing in factories that are able to use technology to eradicate emissions (like in the EU).
• Investment in road infrastructure and proper sidewalks, with runoff systems and sewers to deal with dust.
• Regulate vehicles to meet higher standards, and reduce poor fuel quality.

Although none of these suggestions can come into effect immediately, doing so would decrease emissions in the future. The majority of us care about our earth’s environment, but many who are not educated enough act like they don’t care. It occurs far too often that people copy those around them, following like a herd of sheep. “If they throw their trash on the ground, why shouldn’t I?”

We’re looking forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions on some of these issues.
What can each of us do to reduce the negative effects of pollution?