By Abdullahi Lukman
A new research has revealed that microscopic particles emitted from brake pads may pose a greater health risk than those from diesel vehicle exhaust.
The study highlights concerns over the ongoing pollution from vehicles, even as electric cars become more prevalent, suggesting that pollution from non-exhaust sources, such as brake pad wear, remains a significant environmental and health issue.
Researchers discovered that brake pads with higher copper concentrations were linked to greater toxicity, particularly when inhaled by sensitive lung cells.
While previous attention has focused on exhaust emissions from vehicles, this study points to “non-exhaust” sources—such as brake dust, tyre wear, and road abrasion—as now being the primary contributors to particulate matter in the air.
In the UK and parts of Europe, these emissions are largely unregulated by current legislation, with brake pad particles emerging as a major concern.
Dr. James Parkin, the lead author from the University of Southampton, noted that although electric vehicles are often assumed to have zero emissions, they still release particulate matter from brake wear, tyres, and road friction.
The study examined four types of brake pads—low metallic, semi-metallic, non-asbestos organic, and hybrid-ceramic—and found that non-asbestos organic pads were the most harmful to human lung cells, even more toxic than diesel exhaust particles.
While the findings are alarming, experts such as Dr. Ian Mudway from Imperial College, London caution that more research is needed before concluding that brake wear emissions are definitively worse than diesel exhaust.
Mudway pointed out that there are many uncontrolled variables in the study, including differences in brake disc types and diesel exhaust particle composition.
Despite these concerns, Prof. Matthew Loxham, project supervisor, defended the study’s methodology, stating that the test rig used to generate brake wear particles adhered to a standard braking cycle, ensuring the results accurately represented real-world brake wear emissions.
He acknowledged that while there may be some differences between particle sources, they are unlikely to be significant enough to change the overall findings.
This research has important implications for future traffic-related pollution policies, suggesting that legislation focusing solely on exhaust emissions will not be sufficient to address the broader health risks posed by vehicle pollution.
