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If you ever spend time within a few hundred meters of other cars such as while driving around or walking along a road you are inhaling large amounts of aerosoli

If you ever spend time within a few hundred meters of other cars such as while driving around or walking along a road you are inhaling large amounts of aerosolized metal particles from brake dust. If you want a large sample to verify this phenomenon, pull up to a semi tractor trailer as the truck brakes to a sudden stop such as when slowing down on the freeway upon hitting heavy traffic and take a good whiff.

ceejayoz 2y ago
Are they specifically engineered to be deadly to cells, though?
- callalex 2y ago
  Can you explain the relevance of this question? I think it’s likely I’m missing something, but your question sounds like: “Yes, volcano eruptions have killed innumerable people and species…but were they _specifically engineered_ as killing machines?? Gotcha!”
  - serf 2y ago
    here's the relevance : a bow and arrow and a gun both shoot projectiles. One of them has more regulation due to improved efficacy at shooting projectiles. The presumption here would be that the materials designed for killing cells would do so in a drastically better fashion than materials that are designed for better brake performance but which also coincidentally shed harmful particles. Using your concept : it would raise questions if we heard about a human-lead effort to develop the most cataclysmic volcano eruption ever produced. I didn't get the premise that it's supposed to be a gotcha; it's not. It's just a different thing. We gain benefit from better brakes, it's not all loss.
- Aloisius 2y ago
  Engineered? It's metallic copper.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    And “nanotextured stainless steel”? Asbestos is just… rock.
    - Aloisius 2y ago
      Yes. They etched stainless steel. I'm not seeing the comparison to asbestos which is dangerous regardless of form.
      - ceejayoz 2y ago
        Asbestos is dangerous because of its form. It isn’t inherently toxic, it just pokes your lung tissues to death. This is why I find a new material with “nanoprotrusions measuring 20–30 nm” in an article talking about “nanodaggers” killing cells somewhat concerning.
    - thsksbd 2y ago
      Specifically SiO2 which does not dissolve
    - numpad0 2y ago
      Is rock safe?
      - actionfromafar 2y ago
        Against scissors, yes.
- thsksbd 2y ago
  But at these length scales these materials are very corrodable, even stainless steel. They wont last long in the body. Unlike, say, textures silica that was on here a few months ago. Then I raised this exact concern since SiO2 wont just disappear.
westurner 2y ago
How much longer do brake pads on trucks with regenerative braking last? Though, wouldn't a differently shaped initial acceleration torque curve save synthetic tire microplastics from the ocean, while we figure out how to make dandelion rubber tires?
hinkley 2y ago
Last time I went in the dude mentioned offhand that my current model of brake pads wouldn’t be for sale by the time I needed new pads because mine were sintered (with?) copper. Might be state by state but sounds like it’s on people’s radar at least.
BenFranklin100 2y ago
As an aside, an argument in favor of mass transit vs electric cars, is that EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks.
- DarmokJalad1701 2y ago
  > is that EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks Except for not using brakes for the most part. EV brakes typically last for the life of the car. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_braking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_braking
  - BenFranklin100 2y ago
    And your tires?
    - InitialLastName 2y ago
      Your quote: > EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks. "Substantially reduce particulate matter pollution from brakes" sounds like doing "something", not "nothing", to me.
      - BenFranklin100 2y ago
        Which is why I used a logical conjunction. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/4a4dc6ca-en/1/3/3/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/4a4dc6ca-en&_csp_=681d016aff567eeb4efd802d746cdcc4&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/4a4dc6ca-en/1/3/3/index....
        coldtea 2y ago
        If one thought EVs did something help with one of the two, they'd have omitted it from the list of things "EVs do nothing" to help with. Something that helps with X cannot be said to do nothing to help with "the problem of X and Y". If they reduce it for tires, then they do reduce the problem of "particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks" - proportionally to how much the latter contributes to said problem.

ceejayoz 2y ago

Are they specifically engineered to be deadly to cells, though?

callalex 2y ago
Can you explain the relevance of this question? I think it’s likely I’m missing something, but your question sounds like: “Yes, volcano eruptions have killed innumerable people and species…but were they _specifically engineered_ as killing machines?? Gotcha!”
- serf 2y ago
  here's the relevance : a bow and arrow and a gun both shoot projectiles. One of them has more regulation due to improved efficacy at shooting projectiles. The presumption here would be that the materials designed for killing cells would do so in a drastically better fashion than materials that are designed for better brake performance but which also coincidentally shed harmful particles. Using your concept : it would raise questions if we heard about a human-lead effort to develop the most cataclysmic volcano eruption ever produced. I didn't get the premise that it's supposed to be a gotcha; it's not. It's just a different thing. We gain benefit from better brakes, it's not all loss.
Aloisius 2y ago
Engineered? It's metallic copper.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  And “nanotextured stainless steel”? Asbestos is just… rock.
  - Aloisius 2y ago
    Yes. They etched stainless steel. I'm not seeing the comparison to asbestos which is dangerous regardless of form.
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      Asbestos is dangerous because of its form. It isn’t inherently toxic, it just pokes your lung tissues to death. This is why I find a new material with “nanoprotrusions measuring 20–30 nm” in an article talking about “nanodaggers” killing cells somewhat concerning.
  - thsksbd 2y ago
    Specifically SiO2 which does not dissolve
  - numpad0 2y ago
    Is rock safe?
    - actionfromafar 2y ago
      Against scissors, yes.
thsksbd 2y ago
But at these length scales these materials are very corrodable, even stainless steel. They wont last long in the body. Unlike, say, textures silica that was on here a few months ago. Then I raised this exact concern since SiO2 wont just disappear.

westurner 2y ago

How much longer do brake pads on trucks with regenerative braking last? Though, wouldn't a differently shaped initial acceleration torque curve save synthetic tire microplastics from the ocean, while we figure out how to make dandelion rubber tires?

hinkley 2y ago

Last time I went in the dude mentioned offhand that my current model of brake pads wouldn’t be for sale by the time I needed new pads because mine were sintered (with?) copper. Might be state by state but sounds like it’s on people’s radar at least.

BenFranklin100 2y ago

As an aside, an argument in favor of mass transit vs electric cars, is that EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks.

DarmokJalad1701 2y ago
> is that EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks Except for not using brakes for the most part. EV brakes typically last for the life of the car. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_braking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_braking
- BenFranklin100 2y ago
  And your tires?
  - InitialLastName 2y ago
    Your quote: > EVs do nothing to reduce particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks. "Substantially reduce particulate matter pollution from brakes" sounds like doing "something", not "nothing", to me.
    - BenFranklin100 2y ago
      Which is why I used a logical conjunction. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/4a4dc6ca-en/1/3/3/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/4a4dc6ca-en&_csp_=681d016aff567eeb4efd802d746cdcc4&itemIGO=oecd&itemContentType=book https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/4a4dc6ca-en/1/3/3/index....
      - coldtea 2y ago
        If one thought EVs did something help with one of the two, they'd have omitted it from the list of things "EVs do nothing" to help with. Something that helps with X cannot be said to do nothing to help with "the problem of X and Y". If they reduce it for tires, then they do reduce the problem of "particulate matter pollution from tires and breaks" - proportionally to how much the latter contributes to said problem.