The top 5 actions you can take to avoid air pollution and take care of your health and other people’s:
1. Discover the side streets
Using quieter streets when you’re on a bike or on foot can lower your exposure to air pollution by 20%.
2. Get out of your car
Amazingly, car drivers can be exposed to twice as much air pollution as pedestrians and nine times more than a cyclist. So avoid sitting in your car in heavy traffic where pollution can build up and walk or cycle instead.
3. Get active
Leave your car at home and walk to work or school. You’ll create less pollution, breathe less polluted air and get all those wonderful health benefits from exercise.
4. Avoid strenuous activity when pollution is high
There are about 10 to 20 high pollution days a year when it’s better to avoid working out too hard if you have a heart or lung condition. You can check the pollution in your area for free here. But on balance, for most people, most of the time, it is healthier to exercise than sit it out.
5. Shut out pollution
Blocking out air pollution helps, so close the windows during rush hour if you live or work on a busy street. But always make sure that your room is well ventilated.
Here are some other simple ways to avoid air pollution:
6. Take a walk on the inside
Walk on the inside of the pavement rather than close to the kerb to stay as far away as possibly from exhaust fumes.
7. Turn on & keep out
If you’re stuck in traffic, close the car windows and turn on the air conditioning so you’re not breathing in pollution from the cars around you or your own car. But use your aircon sparingly. It increases the build-up of carbon dioxide, which can make the driver feel drowsy.
8. Travel at quieter times
Avoid travelling at rush hour when traffic jams mean pollution is at its highest.
9. Keep your filter clean
Change or clean your car’s air filter regularly to keep it working properly and filtering pollutants from the air you breathe.
10. Stick to a healthy diet
Eating a healthy diet reduces the risk of developing health problems that can be made worse by air pollution.
Tips taken from National Clean Air Day wesbite https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/avoid-air-pollution