A new British study suggests that microscopic particles from brake pads could be more toxic than emissions from diesel engines. This finding raises concern

Researchers found that brake-wear particulate matter has a greater detrimental effect on lung cells than diesel exhaust particles.

In a recent study, researchers found that tiny brake dust particles are potentially more toxic than diesel exhaust which could affect your health.

Exposure to pollution from car brake wear can prove to be more harmful to the lungs than diesel exhaust, according to a study.

When we think of urban air pollution, diesel exhaust emissions are often portrayed as a key culprit – rightly so, given previous research findings. However, our latest research shows that dust from brake pads could be more harmful to our lungs.

We grew cells in the lab to mimic the lining of the lung, and exposed these cells to both brake dust and diesel exhaust dust. Brake dust proved significantly more harmful to these cells across different measures that are linked to lung diseases such as cancer and asthma.

While the study doesn't specify which diesel engines were used to draw this comparison, agencies report that copper-heavy brake pads aren't much better than the asbestos units they replaced.