Gas prices, as low as they may be, may cause drivers to erupt in bouts of rage, but according to a new study, that's only the half of it.
A researcher at Cairo University exposed rats to unleaded and leaded gasoline vapors and discovered that the rodents forced to huff the fumes were more prone to violence.
After the gasoline treatments, the rats were put into a cage and exhibited a variety of aggressive behavior, including gnashing of teeth and biting. After the study was conducted, the rats were dissected and their brains showed signs of damage from the fumes.
Taken to its extreme, the researcher that conducted the tests, Amal Kinawy, believes that humans who are regularly forced to inhale fumes at the pump may be more prone to road rage. "Heightened aggression may be yet another risk for the human population chronically exposed to urban air polluted by automobile smoke," Kinawy wrote in her report, although a lack of oxygen delivery to the brain can cause similar effects.
[Source: Wired | Image Source: Frederic J. Brown/Getty]
A researcher at Cairo University exposed rats to unleaded and leaded gasoline vapors and discovered that the rodents forced to huff the fumes were more prone to violence.
After the gasoline treatments, the rats were put into a cage and exhibited a variety of aggressive behavior, including gnashing of teeth and biting. After the study was conducted, the rats were dissected and their brains showed signs of damage from the fumes.
Taken to its extreme, the researcher that conducted the tests, Amal Kinawy, believes that humans who are regularly forced to inhale fumes at the pump may be more prone to road rage. "Heightened aggression may be yet another risk for the human population chronically exposed to urban air polluted by automobile smoke," Kinawy wrote in her report, although a lack of oxygen delivery to the brain can cause similar effects.
[Source: Wired | Image Source: Frederic J. Brown/Getty]
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