Is Exercising in Urban Areas A Health Hazard?
People exercising in urban areas may be unwittingly increasing their risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease by increasing their exposure to air pollution. Doctors should caution patients about this risk when they advise patients to get more exercise.
In the current issue of the Medical Journal of Australia, Dr James Sharman of the University of Queensland says physiological changes that occur during exercise may act to compound the toxic effects of environmental air pollution.
Habitual exercise in highly polluted areas, such as alongside major roadways, may increase the overall intensity and frequency of exposure and thus increase an individual's potential risk of developing cardiovascular problems.
Dr Sharman says doctors should encourage patients to avoid exercising in highly polluted areas and instead opt for quiet roads and parks.
There are many harmful effects on the body from pollutants, with acute or chronic exposures increasing the cellular processes associated with atherogenesis - the underlying cause of most cardiovascular disease, says Dr Sharman.
The total amount of ultrafine particulate matter - thought to be particularly harmful to health - deposited in the respiratory tract of humans during moderate exercise has been shown to be about five times that at rest.
Dr Sharman says negative health effects may result from exposure to pollutants at concentrations that are actually lower than recommended air quality standards.
The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.
CONTACT Dr James SHARMAN (07) 3240 6438
Judith TOKLEY, AMA Public Affairs 0408 824 306 / 02 6270 5471