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I lived in downtown Rome, Italy. By far the biggest pollution you get in your house, it's...dust from brakes. It's a tragedy. Not saying diesel ain't bad, but
by epolanski 2y ago
I lived in downtown Rome, Italy. By far the biggest pollution you get in your house, it's...dust from brakes. It's a tragedy.
Not saying diesel ain't bad, but even now that diesels have been largely banned or reduced to euro 6, it has changed nothing about brake dust.
My flat would fill with it in a single day.
It's everywhere. And I lived on a third floor, not even at street level.
- FredPret 2y agoHow do you know the dust was specifically brake dust?
- Saline9515 2y agoOnly electric vehicules are allowed inside the ZFE.
- TheBlight 2y agoDoesn't answer the question though.
- MilaM 2y agoI live in a house next to a moderately busy street with car traffic and also some public transport (bus lines). I noticed that the windows (and frames) facing the street get dirty much faster than the windows facing the garden. The dirt on the street side is also pretty gross, sticky and hard to clean. It's just an anecdotal observation, but I could not come up with a better explanation so far.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- FredPret 2y agoI had a balcony overlooking a highway in Toronto once, and it got super grimy as well. I think all the different kinds of car emissions combine into some sort of super bad tarry crap that then collects every kind of passing dust particle.
- epolanski 2y agoGood point. I'm quite sure it was brake dust because during COVID 19 lockdowns everything was the same (heating etc) but streets were void of cars. Then I've read some scientific article about brake with pics and it looked exactly as what I got inside my house. I can't conclude 100% it was it (or just it), but it seems to be the most probable cause along tires.
- FredPret 2y agoAh, that's interesting. Although I imagine cars kick up a lot of old-fashioned dirt dust from the road and swoosh up some more of that from the sidewalks as they drive as well.
- epolanski 2y agoThere was an article on the topic just today on the economist https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/11/electric-vehicles-also-cause-air-pollution https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2025/04/11/...
- ndsipa_pomu 2y agoIsn't it more likely that it was tyre dust? Every vehicle (more so the heavier ones) is continually depositing tyre dust into the air, whereas brake dust will only be produced when slowing (and hardly any for regenerative braking vehicles).
- tordrt 2y agoElectric cars (some hybrids) use their brakes less due to regenerative breaking. So thats something at least.