Car Brakes May Be , Releasing Dangerous Particles , With an Adverse Impact on Health.<br />'Newsweek' reports that new research <br />suggests that braking in your car could <br />have a surprising impact on your health. .<br />According to a new study in the journal 'Proceedings of <br />the National Academy of Sciences,' particles released by <br />vehicle brakes may be more damaging than car exhaust.<br />The research found that 55% of non-exhaust <br />pollution is made up of brake-wear particles,<br />with around 35% of those particles being airborne. .<br />Those particles can then <br />be breathed in by people, or <br />absorbed by soil or bodies of water.<br />The toxicity and health effects <br />of brake wear particles <br />are largely unknown, Manabu Shiraiwa, Study co-author and professor of aerosol chemistry <br />at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), via 'Newsweek'.<br />Recent results from my lab indicate <br />that they may induce oxidative stress, <br />but more research is needed, Manabu Shiraiwa, Study co-author and professor of aerosol chemistry <br />at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), via 'Newsweek'.<br />On the bright side, these particles are electrically <br />charged, which means they could more easily <br />be removed from the air than neutral particles.<br />On the bright side, these particles are electrically <br />charged, which means they could more easily <br />be removed from the air than neutral particles.<br />We found that up to 80% of aerosol <br />particles emitted from braking are <br />electrically charged, and that many <br />of them are in fact highly charged, Adam Thomas, Study co-author and <br />a doctoral candidate at UCI, via 'Newsweek'.<br />'Newsweek' reports that these emissions are often the <br />worst in areas occupied by lower-income earners, who <br />stand to bear the brunt of the resulting health impacts.<br />These areas are often in <br />poorer communities and <br />highlight an important aspect <br />of environmental justice that <br />has been largely overlooked, Barbara Finlayson-Pitts, Study co-author and an emeritus <br />professor of chemistry at UCI, via 'Newsweek'
