(Brake) Dust in the Wind

image via funonthenet

When you think of the adverse effects of driving a combustion engine car, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the carbon. But fumes from gasoline consumption are not the only potential danger. For one thing, asbestos is still available in brake pads. Although most people think asbestos was banned in the 1980s or 90s, it’s actually still used as a brake lining by imports and aftermarket brake suppliers because there’s no law telling them that they can’t, and when brakes wear, the asbestos is released.

Asbestos isn’t the Only Danger

But even if asbestos was not used at all, there are other materials posing a health risk. Auto brake dust also contains copper and antimony trisulfide. While the amount of copper in brake dust may not significantly affect humans outside of the auto repair industry, the copper released into the environment from brake dust may be seriously affecting the environment and species of wildlife to the point that some legislators are considering banning it from brake manufacture. Antimony trisulfide is dangerous to humans; in low doses it can cause eye irritation and in high doses it can cause heart, lung, or liver failure and death.

Imagine what is being released from the wheels of your car as you drive along a highway with thousands of other cars. The pollutants, isotopes, and carcinogens clinging to your wheels from your brake usage are dislodged and sail off into the air and can remain suspended in the air for an extended time before they fall to the ground where they are absorbed into the watersheds.

What is Being Done?

As you might expect, there are people working to develop a less hazardous version of car brakes, but driving performance, noise, and safety requirements must be met. Research in the UK shows hemp as being a promising material for brake pads and testing is continuing using train brakes, but we are still some time – perhaps decades – before a suitable replacement is developed, manufactured and adopted by auto manufacturers.

In the meantime, drivers can:

• Stay aware of the situation
• Make sure that your aftermarket brakes don’t contain asbestos
• Be careful when cleaning your wheels or when engaging in DIY maintenance
• Reduce driving as much as possible to limit your impact on the environment. Using ZoomPool’s social ridesharing option whenever possible will make personal vehicle use more efficient by filling empty seats with compatible new friends and/or business associates.

Los Angeles Auto Show - Season of Hope

Subaru Hybrid Tourer (Concept)

I love cars.

Given that their overuse and carbon footprints make most of them environment unfriendly, you would think that I would have more distain than appreciation for them, but many autos are works of art – the marriage of design to functionality make them a pleasure to view and drive or ride in. Plus, I live in California, where public transportation is only beginning to catch on. But being conscious of their impact on both our present and future health, as well as the co-founder of a social rideshare company, it’s really heartening to see the number of more fuel-efficient, new fuel, or hybrid fuel cars that are making their debut.

At this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show there are 49 of these more environmentally-friendly transportation options and only four are concepts – 45 options available in the marketplace now or soon.

In this blog, we’ve talked about some of the alternative fuels, and if you’ve read those posts, you won’t be surprised that most of the offerings at the LA show are either “fuel-sippers” or hybrids. But there are a few electric cars and fuel cells sprinkled in. Granted that 49 isn’t a huge number out of the many vehicles that will be on display, but it’s a market that’s growing and since, for many of us this is a season of Hope, we may just have to take it on faith that the market will eventually grow to be so dominant that “alternative fuel” cars won’t even rate as a distinct attraction.

In January, the Pew Research Center found that the environment had slipped significantly as a priority for many Americans, but that doesn’t mean the environment will just maintain its equilibrium until attention comes back to it. So we have to continue to take the opportunity to educate, to enlighten and to make reducing your carbon footprint an individual priority, even if it’s not a national priority. Which is the reason ZoomPool exists – and if it’s fun, maybe people will do it more often. Responsible car ownership, responsible driving, and responsible riding. It will make a difference.

For a more in-depth view of the alternative fuel cars and hybrids being shown in Los Angeles, check out The Daily Green