Its quit wired listing that traffic jams can also increase the risk of cancer this study come out from the  researchers, one of them of Indian origin.  According to the World Health Organization (WHO). In October 2013, WHO classified outdoor air pollution as being carcinogenic to humans.

The findings showed that when vehicles stop at red lights, they go through different driving cycles such as idling, acceleration and deceleration and emission of toxic fumes. These emissions take more time to disperse, especially in built-up areas and end up accumulating in the air at traffic signals.

The people sitting inside cars, with closed windows but with fans switched on, can be at an increased risk of exposure to the outdoor pollutants, the researchers said.

Switching on the fan sucks the dirty air from outside to inside the vehicle, resulting in an accumulation of pollutants in the car. It may be relatively safe to put fans onto the setting where they re-circulate air within the car without drawing polluted air in from outside, the study stated.

Previous studies have shown that drivers stuck at traffic lights were exposed up to 29 times more harmful pollution particles than those driving in free flowing traffic. And the new research, published in the journal Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts, has found that pedestrians are also exposed to increased air pollution around traffic signals.

 

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