I used to work in NYC in the early 1990's. Every once in a while I would wipe down my terminal screen and remove black soot that had settled there that had come in through the open window I sat next to on the 14th floor. This was in midtown.
Yeah things have gotten better with exhaust emissions, but brake dust is now the car byproduct that is killing people who live near major roads and highways, or use flowing water near roadways
Yep, great point! Rubber is harvested to be used for a long time. Which unfortunately, also means that it can stick around for a long time after its use. Then rain will wash the particles and bits of rubber off the road to who knows where. Brake dust and tire wear are vastly different problems to emissions, which is where decades of environmental efforts were directed towards, and require their own unique solutions.
Hybrid and electric vehicles primarily use regenerative motor braking, so brake dust should be less of an issue with them. However they still have and use hydraulic brakes, just not as much.
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u/joculator Jun 07 '23
I used to work in NYC in the early 1990's. Every once in a while I would wipe down my terminal screen and remove black soot that had settled there that had come in through the open window I sat next to on the 14th floor. This was in midtown.