Website dedicated to urban pollution. The founding of the blog is inspired by the February 12, 2006 Standard Chartered Marathon in Hong Kong, when pollution levels in the city reached severe levels by all international measures. We're dying to run!
Monday, February 13, 2006
Breathtaking Hong Kong: 22 runners end up in hospital. More at Simonworld's website
In reading your blog on air pollution and the toll its takes on excercising in toxic environments, I thought that article by a research fellow in Australia that was particularly enlightening.
"Carbon monoxide is one of the gases released from vehicle exhaust. This colourless, odourless gas binds tightly to the protein that carries life-giving oxygen throughout the body (haemoglobin), thus potentially delivering a poisonous payload in the form of carboxyhaemoglobin instead. As long ago as 1983, it was noted that joggers in New York City had carboxyhaemoglobin levels similar to that of regular cigarette smokers after a 30-minute run along the city streets."
Wonderful- problem is most well populated cities around the world will also have this problem, so plan to excercise in the countryside unless there is a decision to provide alternatives for outdoor events?
"However, carbon monoxide is only one of a multitude of chemicals emitted by cars and trucks, which include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and volatile organic compounds. An additional class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is produced in the combustion process. There are over 100 of these, with many known or suspected to be linked to cancer, vascular and respiratory disease (including asthma)."
Kids especially are susceptible to this as well and there was also an article I read about how asthma in babies is becoming more common due to the pollution exposure (non-exercise induced).
"Many polluting compounds can combine to form particulate matter in the atmosphere which varies in size and composition. It seems that the main disease-causing culprit may be these ultra-fine particles, measuring less than 1/10,000 of a millimetre in diameter. These are readily breathed in and can make their way to the lower regions of the lung where they are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body."
Heart, liver, kidneys... BRAIN.
“Large-scale population studies involving many thousands of people have repeatedly shown a dose-response relationship between exposure to automotive pollution, morbidity and mortality. This means the more pollution you are exposed to the greater the risk of death and disease,” says Sharman. You may think that the lungs would be the main site of damage; yet in recent years it has been found that automotive pollution is also a significant factor increasing the risk for cardiovascular effects such as heart attack and cardiac arrhythmias."
Ah... so its not all about smoking then… its not just your bad lifestyle that’s causing you problems.. but your ‘healthy’ lifestyle as well!
“Why is it that exercising in polluted environments may be particularly hazardous to? When a person exercises there is a drastic increase in respiratory rate and capacity for the lungs to diffuse inhaled gases and particles. A recent study found that the total amount of fine particulate matter deposited in the respiratory tract of humans during moderate exercise was about five times higher that at rest. There is also some evidence to suggest that the toxicity of pollutants may be increased when inhaled during exercise compared to rest. Furthermore, during exercise, particularly at higher intensities, a greater portion of air is taken in via the mouth, and we know that the penetration of pollutants to the lung is greater when breathing by mouth compared to the nose. So running alongside a busy roadway may be doing you more harm than good.”
Plausible commercial solutions: Nike could have a special gas mask out next season for Stan Chart runners to filter out those noxious particulates... but carrying a tank to counter the CO2 might shorten your run to 5Kms or less eh?
Maybe have O2 bars at the end of the race for lung/blood detox? :)
people density and proximity to emission source, coupled to the airshed being contrained within the canyons of the city... and those who work in, on and arround roadways (particularily intersections)day in and day out are at high risk as are a whole group of minorities.
The economics are frankly appalling, suggesting the consequences of this occupation and health issue is a direct subsidy to those who profit from emmitting...
2 comments:
The Air You Breathe:
In reading your blog on air pollution and the toll its takes on excercising in toxic environments, I thought that article by a research fellow in Australia that was particularly enlightening.
"Carbon monoxide is one of the gases released from vehicle exhaust. This colourless, odourless gas binds tightly to the protein that carries life-giving oxygen throughout the body (haemoglobin), thus potentially delivering a poisonous payload in the form of carboxyhaemoglobin instead. As long ago as 1983, it was noted that joggers in New York City had carboxyhaemoglobin levels similar to that of regular cigarette smokers after a 30-minute run along the city streets."
Wonderful- problem is most well populated cities around the world will also have this problem, so plan to excercise in the countryside unless there is a decision to provide alternatives for outdoor events?
"However, carbon monoxide is only one of a multitude of chemicals emitted by cars and trucks, which include sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and volatile organic compounds. An additional class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is produced in the combustion process. There are over 100 of these, with many known or suspected to be linked to cancer, vascular and respiratory disease (including asthma)."
Kids especially are susceptible to this as well and there was also an article I read about how asthma in babies is becoming more common due to the pollution exposure (non-exercise induced).
"Many polluting compounds can combine to form particulate matter in the atmosphere which varies in size and composition. It seems that the main disease-causing culprit may be these ultra-fine particles, measuring less than 1/10,000 of a millimetre in diameter. These are readily breathed in and can make their way to the lower regions of the lung where they are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body."
Heart, liver, kidneys... BRAIN.
“Large-scale population studies involving many thousands of people have repeatedly shown a dose-response relationship between exposure to automotive pollution, morbidity and mortality. This means the more pollution you are exposed to the greater the risk of death and disease,” says Sharman. You may think that the lungs would be the main site of damage; yet in recent years it has been found that automotive pollution is also a significant factor increasing the risk for cardiovascular effects such as heart attack and cardiac arrhythmias."
Ah... so its not all about smoking then… its not just your bad lifestyle that’s causing you problems.. but your ‘healthy’ lifestyle as well!
“Why is it that exercising in polluted environments may be particularly hazardous to? When a person exercises there is a drastic increase in respiratory rate and capacity for the lungs to diffuse inhaled gases and particles. A recent study found that the total amount of fine particulate matter deposited in the respiratory tract of humans during moderate exercise was about five times higher that at rest. There is also some evidence to suggest that the toxicity of pollutants may be increased when inhaled during exercise compared to rest. Furthermore, during exercise, particularly at higher intensities, a greater portion of air is taken in via the mouth, and we know that the penetration of pollutants to the lung is greater when breathing by mouth compared to the nose. So running alongside a busy roadway may be doing you more harm than good.”
Plausible commercial solutions:
Nike could have a special gas mask out next season for Stan Chart runners to filter out those noxious particulates... but carrying a tank to counter the CO2 might shorten your run to 5Kms or less eh?
Maybe have O2 bars at the end of the race for lung/blood detox? :)
http://www.ausrun.com.au/index.php?id=40
people density and proximity to emission source, coupled to the airshed being contrained within the canyons of the city... and those who work in, on and arround roadways (particularily intersections)day in and day out are at high risk as are a whole group of minorities.
The economics are frankly appalling, suggesting the consequences of this occupation and health issue is a direct subsidy to those who profit from emmitting...
Ottawa Charter principles should apply.
see: http://www.mildgreens.com/biosafe/index
Cheers,
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