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\nAs spring rolls in, many runners are grateful to be able to run outside without suiting up for freezing temperatures. But warm, sunny weather can also bring along another trademark of summer\u2014air pollution.<\/p>\n
\nAs spring rolls in, many runners are grateful to be able to run outside without suiting up for freezing temperatures. But warm, sunny weather can also bring along another trademark of summer\u2014air pollution.<\/p>\n
In large cities and other areas with power plants, industrial centers, or just lots of cars, increased levels of pollutants in the air can become a real health hazard. When the air pollution gets bad, you\u2019ll still probably want to get your run in. The question then becomes whether to put up with the drudgery of the treadmill or go outside and run in the polluted air.<\/p>\n
This article will take a look at the effects of air pollution on athletic performance, with an eye both for training and racing in poor air quality.<\/p>\n
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The first major studies on air pollution and endurance were undertaken in the \u201960s, \u201970s, and \u201980s, after it was decided that the 1984 Olympics would be held in smoggy Los Angeles. Another big round of research followed in the early 2000s leading up to the Beijing Olympics.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, these studies looked at all of the questions we\u2019d be interested in: Does air pollution affect performance? Does it affect health? And are there any ways to mitigate its effects?<\/p>\n
In a fairly detailed review article published in the months before the 1984 Games, Roy Shephard at Toronto Western Hospital described the effects on the body of polluted air. These were broken down by whether the chemical pollutants were oxidants or reductants.<\/p>\n
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In areas with heavy smog, like Los Angeles or Beijing, up to five percent of all of your red blood cells can be overwhelmed by carbon monoxide, and at these levels, even muscular coordination and perception of time can be impeded.<\/li>\n![\"\u0628\u0627\u0644\u0627](\"https:\/\/tehrunclub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Exam.Ergometer.Spirometer96157644_G_-1024x595-1.jpg\")
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Other studies have also linked sulfur oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide to decreased athletic performance. Exposure to pollutants generally leads to a predictable, linear drop in your ability to take in oxygen.<\/p>\n
A study by Wayne Walborg and colleagues, for example, found that higher levels of oxidants in the air were correlated with slower cross country race times among high school boys in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n
![\"\u0627\u0632\u0648\u0646](\"https:\/\/tehrunclub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Air-Pollution-Affect-Running-03.jpg\")
More work has also revealed that exercise exacerbates their effects, since the deep, heavy breathing you use while running both increases the total volume of air moving in and out of your lungs and also allows pollutants to bypass your nose, where the mucous tissues can trap some of the chemicals before they get to your lungs.<\/p>\n
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