Commuter woes: 5 alarming things you’re exposed to every day

MANILA, Philippines – If you’re a daily commuter, you’d understand how dreadful the journey is—melting in heat while waiting on a long queue for a ride, bearing unhygienic skin contact with anybody on the cramped train just to get in and out, or inevitably inhaling dark vehicle smoke while waiting for a ride on the sidewalk. It’s definitely “buwis buhay”, as most commuters describe it.

And getting exposed to things that are actually harmful—dust, pollution, virus, and so on—just makes things worse. You may think that it’s almost impossible not to get exposed to these when you have to take public transportation every day. The good news is there are a lot of ways you can minimize the risk they bring to you. Let’s take a look:

1. Secondhand smoke

If you take public transportation, chances are you pass through open public spaces where breathing in secondhand smoke is almost unavoidable.

According to Mayo Clinic, secondhand smoke contains toxic chemicals like ammonia (found in cleaning products), carbon monoxide (found in car exhaust), cyanide (used in producing chemical weapons), formaldehyde and lead. It may cause serious illnesses like cancer, heart ailments and lung disease.

To protect your body from these adverse effects of secondhand smoke, keep away from smoking areas. Cover your nose and mouth with a clean hanky when you pass by smokers. And encourage your loved ones and friends who smoke to quit.

2. UVA & UVB radiation

It’s also nearly unavoidable to get exposed to sun in your daily commute. Unless you’re driving your car, you’d always have those short or long walks to work or school.

Sunlight has ultraviolet rays, a form of radiation that could take its toll on our body if we are not careful about getting exposed to the sun. Too much exposure may lead to sunburn, dry skin and hair, wrinkles, dark spots, and skin cancer.

You can minimize the risk of experiencing sun damage by wearing sunscreen with at least SPF 15 daily, using an umbrella, wearing sunglasses or looking for shaded areas where you can walk.

3. High humidity

The Philippines is a tropical country where high humidity is often experienced. Being outdoors in your daily commute, bearing the humid weather, can make your hair frizzy, sap your energy and cause heat exhaustion, and make you more prone to catch flu.

Don’t get sick during these days by wearing loose and comfortable clothes, having flu vaccine, and taking in enough nutrients and vitamins.

4. Dust mites

Waiting for a ride on a sidewalk is how many commuters get exposed to so much dust and dirt—talk about vehicle combustion and polluted air. This can cause respiratory problems, acne, allergies and sinusitis, among others.

Don’t get exposed to dust and dirt as much as possible. Cover your nose when you have to wait on sidewalks or cross streets. You can also explore the option of car pooling where you can ride to and from work with some of your colleagues. 

5. Odor-causing bacteria

Elements that you are exposed to in your commute, such as dust, heat and pollution, make you sweat. But did you know that sweat itself is actually odorless? It becomes smelly when mixed with bacteria, and the bad news is, you are exposed to more than 10 types of bacteria in your commute!

You can protect yourself from odor-causing bacteria by using products that actually fight bacteria like Rexona Antibacterial Defense. It targets and helps eliminate odor-causing bacteria. So, #FightBac with New Rexona Antibacterial Defense and get ten times more protection*. 

*versus non-use