Every day, there are around seven million cars driving around the streets of Sao Paulo. Pollution caused by these vehicles is the cause of death of over 4.5 thousand people in the … read morecity, yearly. That is almost three times the number of victims of traffic accidents, for example. Cars are responsible for over 90% of the air pollution in Sao Paulo. In order to help people visualise this invisible menace, we used regular party balloons, and a special adapter, to create the "3 Segundos" project. The initiative measures the quantity of harmful gas that is expelled by vehicle exhaust pipes and provides a clear visual representation of the size of the problem faced by big cities daily. A mere 3 seconds with the engine running produces enough pollution to fill up a balloon. 15 minutes will fill up 300 balloons. A running car will, in one hour, produce enough pollution to fill up 1200 balloons. With this powerful visual representation, the project's aim was to reveal the true size of the previously ignored problem to drivers and passengers in São Paulo.
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