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Where does air pollution come from?

(ourworldindata.org)
233 points kamaraju | 1 comments | 02 Apr 25 04:25 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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sebastiennight ◴[02 Apr 25 05:45 UTC] No.43553952[source]▶
Interesting article. I always assumed that a large part of the "soot" air pollution in cities came from car tyres as well, since their compounds are one of the main sources for the dust that deposits in apartments.
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kmoser ◴[02 Apr 25 06:05 UTC] No.43554042[source]▶
Particles from tires and brakes account for a significant chunk of pollution. I'm in the middle of reading Dust: The Modern World in a Trillion Particles which goes into those details.

https://www.amazon.com/Dust-Story-Modern-Trillion-Particles/...

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originalvichy ◴[02 Apr 25 07:33 UTC] No.43554439[source]▶
Cars become worse the more you approach colder climates. Every fall and spring there are multiple weeks during which asphalt roads are dry from sunlight and warmth, which leads to studded tyres chewing through asphalt. Not only that, the sand we spread on roads to help people stay on their feet also helps in creating massive amounts of dust. It's so difficult to time the change from summer tyres to winter tyres.

It's quite possible to survive with friction tyres with the help of good traction control (especially from an EV) but there are vast areas of the country that do not get roads plowed in a timely manner, so it's "safer" to go with studs.

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1. bjoli ◴[02 Apr 25 07:50 UTC] No.43554505{3}[source]▶
(in Sweden) I would say that 90% of people driving off the road where my parents live (based on people I have talked to or helped) have friction tyres. I tell people "if you ever plan to leave the city, get studs".

Even in towns, there will be conditions where friction tyres are completely useless. Heck, sometimes you should probably not drive at all. About once a year the sides of the main road near my house are sprinkled with cars, despite most people driving 30km/h or less (on a 50 road). On a very slippery march morning last year I counted 15 cars on an 800m stretch.