City Exercisers: How Pollution Affects You

Beware of three major pollutants circulating in urban air

By null HealthDay News , This article is courtesy of the HealthDay news service.

(Sept. 6, 2006) -- Your intentions may be good, but exercising outdoors in a city may be riskier than you think.

Elevated air pollution levels can damage your health--especially if you are running, bicycling or skating.

The danger stems from the makeup of the pollutants. The three main culprits are fine particulate matter, ozone, and carbon monoxide.

The three pollutants are in cities around the world, in just about every urban environment. Fine particulates are emitted from the diesel engines of buses and trucks. Carbon monoxide arises from cigarette smoke and automobile exhaust fumes, and it has the ability to force oxygen out of a person's circulatory system.

These pollutants irritate the lungs, making it harder to breathe and worsening problems initially caused by asthma, bronchitis, cardiopulmonary maladies, and emphysema.

"The pollutants affect the lungs by causing inflammation or irritation of the airway lining," said Dr. Joseph T. Cooke, associate professor of clinical medicine and patient safety officer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. "More mucus and phlegm is produced, and small muscles surrounding the airway respond by squeezing down. The work of breathing increases, and it becomes more difficult to get oxygen into the body."

For those exercising, overexposure to carbon monoxide can lead to dizziness, confusion, headaches and dangerously high body temperatures. Ozone, which is the largest component of smog in cities, adversely affects breathing patterns and decreases the size of airways, making the lungs more resistant to oxygen.

If you are determined to exercise in the city, follow these tips:

• Do not run on or near roads where there is heavy truck or bus traffic. • Work out in the early morning or later in the evening. • Exercise indoors if possible. • If you experience any difficulty breathing, stop exercising immediately and see a doctor.