Brake dust from semi-metallic brake pads have been attributed as a cause of Alzheimer’s cardiovascular disease (CD). (Image: vehiclefixing.com)
Larry Plesent
The verdict is in. We now have solid evidence from multiple studies that ultra-fine particulates emitted from coal burning power plants, diesel-fueled vehicle and semi metallic brake pads are at the root cause of nearly all cases of Alzheimer’s. Several studies have also linked this same auto pollution to a predisposition for cardiovascular disease (CD).
The culprit is magnetic iron. Not just any iron. Magnetic iron particles that we inhale. Airborne magnetite pollution particles smaller than ∼200 nm in size can access the brain directly when we breathe, bypassing our bodies’ protective mechanisms.
Magnetic iron particles? Where does all this this magnetic dust come from? Advances in imaging equipment (microscopes on steroids) allow us to now view even ultrafine nanoparticles like these. Observed changes to the shape and surface of magnetic iron particles gleaned from human hearts and brains have allowed medical researchers to definitively trace them back to the energy sources this publication advocates us to abandon. In other words, cars and power plants are now recognized as being a prime cause of these two diseases.
You may ask, don’t electric vehicles (EVs) use brakes too? Aren’t they still part of the problem? EVs do use brakes, of course, even though they do not burn fossil fuels. However, they differ from their internal combustion engine (ICE) cousins in the use of regenerative braking systems to augment the conventional brakes most of us grew up with. Regenerative braking systems create electricity (fuel) by running the vehicle’s electric motor in reverse, putting some of that kinetic energy back into the battery rather than losing it all to friction. This means less wear on your brake pads and consequently reducing the amount of magnetic iron particles created by brake pad loss.
A quick and easy solution to further reducing magnetic iron pollution is to install ceramic brake pads in your vehicles. Ceramic pads have been around since the mid 1980’s. These game-changing pads last longer, are super quiet, and do not create the messy metallic dust that soils our wheels, hearts and minds.
Here is a quick look at four main types of brake pad materials. Keep in mind that different manufacture’s use their own proprietary formulas. When it comes to brake pads the more expensive ones are usually the better-quality ones.
Asbestos pads. Asbestos pads work great and were the original brake pads. These pads were phased out in the 1960s due to numerous health concerns.
Organic brake pads. This is the industry name for composite pads made from a mixture of plastics, rubber, fiberglass, and a variety of other materials. These brake pads are short-lived and may only last you 20,000 miles. The cheapest organic pads may last only three to four months! While the dust produced by organic brake pads would never be considered nontoxic, they have not been linked to the two diseases this article focuses on.
Note: The word organic is an agricultural term with a specific definition regulated by the USDA. Organic brake pads are decidedly non-organic in nature.
If you usually drive fast, aggressively, live on a lofty mountain top, extreme desert or above the 45th parallel (Vermont and New Hampshire’s northern borders) or regularly do heavy towing; semi metallic brakes may be the best choice for you mechanically.
If you drive normally, use your vehicle primarily for commuting and chores, and do not usually drive in extreme heat or cold, ceramic brake pads offer a longer lasting, quieter, reliable and less toxic alternative. Ceramic brake pads may cost you a little more, but they often last two to three times longer than other options. When your mechanic’s labor time is factored in, these “next generation” brake pads offer a superior, less expensive, and healthier option for you and for the next person breathing the air you just exited.
I often hear from people who tell me that they cannot afford an electric car or better brake pads. We now know that we, meaning ALL of us, cannot afford to continue avoiding change.
Larry Plesent is the founder of Vermont Soap and is a writer and natural products formulator residing in the green hills of Vermont. Read more from Larry’s work at www.reactivebody.org.
Source Material:
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › pmc › articles › PMC5047173
Magnetite pollution nanoparticles in the human brain
** https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › 31381513
*** https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › 31344533
Combustion- and friction-derived magnetic air pollution nanoparticles …
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