[Panther34543]

I moved to NYC earlier this year, and particulate matter from roads and cars was a serious concern.

I did significant research into relative pollutants and health outcomes in NYC, and found almost zero correlation. Lung cancer was a particular concern, but it seems occurrences aren't higher in the city by any statistically significant amount. I found that to be strange; cars are everywhere in the city and most individuals live within a dozen meters of a heavily trafficked road.

If anyone has competing evidence, I'd love to read it.

[zahma]

Which health concerns, though? It's not exactly easy to isolate cause and effect. I do not have comparable research into New York and pollution, but you won't convince me that it is safe to inhale elevated levels of PM2.5. That stuff goes straight into your blood and can transition the blood-brain barrier.[1]

Moreover, our bodies did not evolve to eliminate combustion products and micron-sized scraps of rubber and asphalt. In this case where evidence is absent, it is more than prudent to assume the worst case: no amount of pollution is good for us. In the same vein, we know that poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are carcinogenic, but does that mean we do not eat charbroiled steak? Of course not, but par for the course would be smoking a cigarette and introducing a shitload more carcinogens directly into our blood.

All of that is to say that we can probably tolerate and eliminate a low-level of exogenous pollutants entering our body, but sustained intake of pollution surely spells disaster. Then again, something's going to kill you, so pick your poison -- literally.

(Not exactly the damning evidence you're looking for, but the study below asserts causality between exogenous particulate matter infiltrating the CNS and neurological and behavioral disorders, including Alzheimer's-like symptoms and cognitive dysfunction in adults and children alike.)

1-https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2117083119

[nikkwong]

I've looked into this as well; and from my understanding the amount of physical activity New Yorkers undergo by walking everywhere may offset the detrimental effects of the city's pollution; leaving New Yorkers with an average life expectancy that mirrors (or may be a bit higher) than the rest of the nation. It goes to show you how important regular, several times per day, low intensity exercise may be for human health.

Maybe also, the relative windiness of the city leads to less accumulation of road dust than you'd have in other areas? (Totally just conjecture).

[rtkwe]

I bet part of it is also that most of the traffic is actually moving quite slowly so you don't get nearly as much tire or brake wear dust in the pollutants.

[foobarian]

I used to enjoy visiting Manhattan because when I did, I would always have these giant juicy boogers to pick out at the end of the day. Didn't dwell too much on the health effects...