TRAFFIC POLLUTION AND MENTAL EFFICIENCY
THIS ARTICLE REPORTS ON A COMPARISON OF THE PERFORMANCE, IN A NUMBER OF MENTAL TESTS, OF SUBJECTS BREATHING PURE AIR WITH THEIR PERFORMANCE WHEN BREATHING AIR PUMPED IN FROM A MODERATELY BUSY ROAD (AVERAGE TRAFFIC FLOW 830 PASSENGER CARRYING UNITS/H). AUDITORY VIGILANCE, ADDITION, SENTENCE COMPREHENSION AND DIGIT COPYING TESTS WERE USED. IN THE VIGILANCE TEST, DETECTION EFFICIENCY DROPPED FROM A MEAN OF 72.7 PER CENT IN PURE AIR TO 60.0 PER CENT WHEN BREATHING POLLUTED AIR. THE TESTS SHOWED A SIGNFICANT INCREASE IN TIME TO COMPLETE THE THIRTY SUMS AND THE SIXTY-FOUR SENTENCES WHEN SUBJECTS WERE BREATHING POLLUTED AIR. THE DIGIT COPYING TEST DID NOT SHOW AN EFFECT OF POLLUTION; THE REASON FOR THIS COULD BE EITHER THAT THE TASK WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY SENSITIVE, OR THAT TRAFFIC POLLUTION DID NOT HAVE A MARKED EFFECT ON MANUAL SKILL. THIS STUDY HAS SHOWN A MARKED DECREASE IN THE MENTAL EFFICIENCY OF SUBJECTS BREATHING AIR TAKEN FROM A ROAD WHICH, BY CENTRAL LONDON STANDARDS, IS NOT PARTICULARLY BUSY. WHILE THESE ARE THE RESULTS OF A SINGLE EXPERIMENT, THE SIZE AND CONSISTENCY OF THE EFFECTS OBSERVED SUGGEST THAT TRAFFIC POLLUTION MAY PLAY AN IMPORTANT AND HITHERTO UNSUSPECTED PART IN PRECIPITATING ROAD ACCIDENTS.
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 225, No 5227, PP 95-97
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Authors:
- Lewis, J
- Publication Date: 1970-1-3
Media Info
- Serial:
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Air pollution; Alertness; Fumes; Performance tests; Reaction time; Traffic crashes
- Old TRIS Terms: Traffic fumes
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00223225
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jun 29 1970 12:00AM