[foreignfruit@]

With the general media hype around toxic air, not to mention the lung-full I get sat at the lights on my commute through London I’m exploring which option to go for.

Can anyone share any preferences? Previous experiences with them? General positives / negatives?

Ta,
Jack

Topic

[CygnusX1]

Can you imagine that same

Can you imagine that same scene with the policeman but with the word “mask” replaced with “niqab”?

Unfortunately, I can, and I suspect the DM comments would be filled with even more hate filled invective.

 

[Anonymous]

brooksby wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

Just make sure you don’t wear it anywhere near a school!  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6458101/Row-cyclist-police-officer-headteacher-mask-frightening-children.html

That policeman should be ashamed of himself for that.

Unfortunately, I read some of the comments, so I’m just going to bleach my eyes.

What was the cyclist actually wearing, in that story?  Was it a pollution filter mask or a balaclava?  No story seems to discuss that, just that he was ‘wearing a mask’…

 

 

[madcarew]

brooksby wrote:

madcarew wrote:

If it is ineffective in filtering out what you want to filter out, the only thing it is achieving is to make cycling less attractive and more uncomfortable, and make cycling appear more risky than it is. All these things are likely to combine to make you  and others less likely to cycle …. 

Hey, wow, you mean like wearing a helmet?   (ducks for cover…)

(Sorry, people, just couldn’t resist it: please don’t pick this up and run with it).

I absolutely agree with you, hence I’m opposed to mandatory helmet wear.

Oh Damn

Wasn’t supposed to run with it

Soz

My bad

ooops

[Legs_Eleven_Worcester]

ClubSmed wrote:

I am with the cyclist on this one, but on writing my reply I hesitated.

I was going to write, “I would rather parents picked up their children like this rather than them all doing it in their pollution machines”

Then I thought about the scene if this nirvana should come to pass. I may not find a few cyclists in neck tubes (or whatever type of face covering it was) intimidating, but 300 of them and I could understand people being scared.

I know this state of play is not likely to happen, it just made me think.

It would be easy to dismiss the comments on that article as ‘the usual Daily Mail fascists’, but remember that the editor, the people who read this rag and its associated website in effect run the UK.  There are probably 1000 Daily Mail readers who have more power than probably fifty million of the rest of us.   

[brooksby]

hawkinspeter wrote:

I’d assumed that it was a pollution mask, but it’s irrelevant anyway unless the cop was from the fashion police (he didn’t look to be that fabulous, though).

If kids are scared of a bloke on a bike wearing a facemask, then they should be taught why someone may want to wear a mask (e.g. it’s cold; there’s too much pollution) and to not be afraid.

What would happen if someone with facial disfigurations (e.g. burns) was waiting to pick up their kid? Would they get banned for scaring the children too?

No – clearly the headteacher would call the police and force them to put a mask on.

(Because no child should ever have to encounter anything “different”, should they?)

[ClubSmed]

I am with the cyclist on this

I am with the cyclist on this one, but on writing my reply I hesitated.

I was going to write, “I would rather parents picked up their children like this rather than them all doing it in their pollution machines”

Then I thought about the scene if this nirvana should come to pass. I may not find a few cyclists in neck tubes (or whatever type of face covering it was) intimidating, but 300 of them and I could understand people being scared.

I know this state of play is not likely to happen, it just made me think.

[hawkinspeter]

brooksby wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

Just make sure you don’t wear it anywhere near a school!  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6458101/Row-cyclist-police-officer-headteacher-mask-frightening-children.html

That policeman should be ashamed of himself for that.

Unfortunately, I read some of the comments, so I’m just going to bleach my eyes.

What was the cyclist actually wearing, in that story?  Was it a pollution filter mask or a balaclava?  No story seems to discuss that, just that he was ‘wearing a mask’…

I’d assumed that it was a pollution mask, but it’s irrelevant anyway unless the cop was from the fashion police (he didn’t look to be that fabulous, though).

If kids are scared of a bloke on a bike wearing a facemask, then they should be taught why someone may want to wear a mask (e.g. it’s cold; there’s too much pollution) and to not be afraid.

What would happen if someone with facial disfigurations (e.g. burns) was waiting to pick up their kid? Would they get banned for scaring the children too?

[brooksby]

hawkinspeter wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

Just make sure you don’t wear it anywhere near a school!  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6458101/Row-cyclist-police-officer-headteacher-mask-frightening-children.html

That policeman should be ashamed of himself for that.

Unfortunately, I read some of the comments, so I’m just going to bleach my eyes.

What was the cyclist actually wearing, in that story?  Was it a pollution filter mask or a balaclava?  No story seems to discuss that, just that he was ‘wearing a mask’…

[brooksby]

madcarew wrote:

If it is ineffective in filtering out what you want to filter out, the only thing it is achieving is to make cycling less attractive and more uncomfortable, and make cycling appear more risky than it is. All these things are likely to combine to make you  and others less likely to cycle …. 

Hey, wow, you mean like wearing a helmet?   (ducks for cover…)

(Sorry, people, just couldn’t resist it: please don’t pick this up and run with it).

[hawkinspeter]

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

Just make sure you don’t wear it anywhere near a school!  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6458101/Row-cyclist-police-officer-headteacher-mask-frightening-children.html

That policeman should be ashamed of himself for that.

Unfortunately, I read some of the comments, so I’m just going to bleach my eyes.

[Legs_Eleven_Worcester]

Just make sure you don’t wear

Just make sure you don’t wear it anywhere near a school!  

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6458101/Row-cyclist-police-officer-headteacher-mask-frightening-children.html

[Dnnnnnn]

Perhaps you could also

Perhaps you could also consider changing your route to avoid the most polluted parts? 

My understanding is that vehicle pollutants, particularly particulates, is quite localised, so switching from a major arterial route to a backstreet alternative a block away could make more difference that a mask.

[Anonymous]

Considering you need
Considering you need something half decent and SAS looking to filter out MDF dust , I’d guess you’re wasting your time with realistic pollution filters for cycling in any sort of comfort.

[madcarew]

“surely using one is better

“surely using one is better than not using it”….

If it is ineffective in filtering out what you want to filter out, the only thing it is achieving is to make cycling less attractive and more uncomfortable, and make cycling appear more risky than it is. All these things are likely to combine to make you  and others less likely to cycle …. which has a proven negative effect on your health; and one less cyclist on the road, ironically, makes cycling more dangerous for the rest of us. I’m not about to make a broad, sweeping statement like “all the studies show…”, but the consensus from well conducted studies are that you are indeed more at (lifetime health) risk from toxic gases while sat in your car than whilst cycling or pedestrianing, so although it may not seem like it, you are probably better not using it than using it if it isn’t shown to filter out the ‘toxic’ substances. 

[foreignfruit@]

Thanks all, very helpful.

Thanks all, very helpful. Albeit disheartening to hear that none of the masks on the market are actually very effective. My frame of mind is that surely using one is better than not using it but the comfort problem I can completely see

[Author]

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