Totobobo

05/09/2026

Is cycling in polluted air or haze bad for you?

Cycling is one of the best things you can do for your health. But there’s an uncomfortable question for anyone who rides regularly in city traffic:

Are we trading some of the health benefits of cycling for the pollution we breathe along the way?

When we cycle, we breathe faster and deeper. That means we can inhale much more traffic pollution than someone walking along the same road — especially around busy junctions and congested roads.

The good news is that you don't necessarily have to stop riding.

Choosing quieter routes, avoiding peak traffic, keeping away from idling vehicles and checking the air quality can all make a difference.

And when the air is particularly bad, such as during Singapore's current haze, it's worth taking extra care.

I've just updated our article “Is Cycling in Polluted Air Bad for You?” with practical advice on when pollution matters, when wearing a respirator makes sense, and what you can do to reduce your exposure without buying anything.

👉 Read the full article:
https://totobobo.com/cycling-in-air-pollution/

Keep riding — just ride smarter. 🚴‍♀️

Riding in traffic means breathing more of it. The real risk, when wearing a mask actually helps, and free ways to cut your exposure before buying gear.

04/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Njc2BvtSs/

19/08/2026

We know air pollution raises lung cancer risk. We don't know exactly how. So researchers looked at blood taken years before diagnosis. 8 molecules lined up with both air pollution and later lung cancer.

More: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-75116-3

27/07/2026

More than 100 million people across 18 states were under air quality alerts during last week's smoke event. Several cities hit their worst smoke readings in over 25 years.

I'm curious about the real-world side of it, not the maps:

What was your AQI at its worst — and what did you actually do? Stayed in? Ran a purifier? Wore a mask? Went out anyway?

Drop your city and the number. I'd like to see how bad it really got for people here.

(CNN's forecast piece in the first comment 👇)

17/07/2026

Good ranking but there's a hidden variable: fit. Filter ratings (N95, FFP2) are measured with the mask sealed to a test rig. On a real face, any leak around the nose or cheeks bypasses the filter entirely, and most people can't tell when this is happening.

That's actually why we designed Totobobo to be transparent and heat-moldable - you can literally see where the seal contacts your skin and reshape it to your face. But whatever mask you use in wildfire smoke, do a seal check: cover the mask with your hands, inhale sharply, and feel for air leaking at the edges.

Fit is as important as the filter. It's just much harder to see.

Wildfire smoke from Canada and the Great Lakes is spreading across the Northeast. For those dealing directly with smoke, any mask is better than nothing, but a respirator will protect you the best. Read about how to clear your home of wildfire smoke here: https://nyti.ms/40pRAYh

03/07/2026

Our story is on AP News 📰

New research finds 54% of adults fail N95 fit tests — without knowing it. As wildfire smoke spreads across Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Florida, fit matters as much as the filter.

Totobobo's moldable, transparent design lets you SEE your seal instead of guessing — and trim it to fit any face, even a child's.

Read it on AP News:
https://apnews.com/press-release/ein-presswire-newsmatics/press-release-20dee5a6d2256181c44ffc20f024ad2f

25/06/2026

UNICEF initiative to advocate for clean air in Mongolia by the new generation.

Meet Tuguldur, a 17-year-old working tirelessly to combat air pollu...

20/04/2026

This message from a customer in Boston made our day. 🚴

Li Jiun commutes 40km every day through heavy urban traffic. After 1.5 years of long rides, she started noticing health effects — thick mucus, dry cough — but stopping cycling simply wasn't an option.

"I am grateful for the mask such that I can still enjoy long rides in a busy urban city."

— Li Jiun Chen, Google Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

That's why we do what we do. Every filter changed, every kilometre ridden safely — it counts.

If you're a Totobobo user, we'd love to hear your story too. Leave us a Google review before 30 April 2026 and we'll send you a personal discount code as a thank-you. 🎁

Leave your review here:
https://g.page/r/CdcaSZKrLWTVEAE/review

31/10/2025

Throwback to 2008, Totobobo Maskinventor, Francis Chu joined Goska and Hervé on their Develotour adventure. As they cycled across Asia, they relied on Totobobo filtration masks — a simple yet remarkably effective solution for urban and rural air pollution.

From India to Thailand, Vietnam, and China, the duo wore their masks every day, changing the filters every six hours. Each used filter told a story, revealing the level of soot and dust they had just passed through.

By the time they completed their journey, they had gathered a striking visual record — a gradient of darkened filters, each marking the air quality of a different city.

That expedition was the first true long-distance test of Totobobo under real-world, high-exposure conditions. Goska and Hervé’s feedback proved invaluable, guiding refinements that made the mask even more practical for cyclists everywhere.

Totobobo inventor Francis Chu joined Dévélotour Asia’s Goska Romanowicz and Hervé Bonnaveira on a nine-day cycling journey from Hanoi to Ha Long Bay — testing air pollution, documenting their findings, and experiencing life on the road at the 7,000 km mark of their 16,000 km journey.

06/10/2025

Totobobo = 500+ disposables saved 🌿
- 99% less waste
- 30 kg CO₂ avoided
- Hospital-validated comfort & protection

Data speaks louder than plastic waste:

👉 totobobo.com/blog/beyond-disposable-validating-the-next-generation-of-high-filtration-low-waste-face-mask/

The Challenge of Disposable Mask While face masks served as critical protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, their reliance on single-use polymers has created a global environmental crisis. At the peak of the pandemic, global consumption of facial coverings was estimated to be an unprecedented 129....