Clinicians prescribing exercise: is air pollution a hazard?

kanangara said:

mja.com.auletters 060206 fm 3.htmlOpen ↗

Parbs

From memory this was hashed over about six months ago. It's pretty much as the report says: cycling for transport is a healthier option than driving and all road users are the victims of particulate matter which is much higher in Australia than in Europe.

Lobby your MP for better contols on diesel particulate matter with a view to bringning them to EU levels. That's the best outcome for everyone.

EuanB said:

From memory this was hashed over about six months ago. It's pretty much as the report says: cycling for transport is a healthier option than driving and all road users are the victims of particulate matter which is much higher in Australia than in Europe.

Yes this recently came up on the BFA list, and if I can be bothered digging it up, there probably was a a.b thread. Link to article below.

Clinicians prescribing exercise: is air pollution a hazard?: James E Sharman
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_12_200605/sha10929_fm.html

Quote:
In summary, there is sound evidence for an exposure-dependent relationship between air pollution, morbidity and mortality, particularly in relation to cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses. Although regular aerobic exercise is recommended for good health, there may be adverse health consequences for people who habitually exercise in areas of high ambient pollution. Despite this, it is not uncommon to see people running or cycling alongside congested roadways, and clinicians should advise patients to exercise on quiet roads or in parks and recreation areas. The best time of day to exercise is early in the morning, before the build-up of traffic and when it is cooler. This is relevant because the combination of sunlight and heat with certain compounds increases ozone production. Importantly, certain groups may be acutely susceptible to the effects of air pollution, and clinicians should advise them accordingly.

***

Point taken, but isn't the main problem being avoided here? 😕

Last time I saw this issue raised, there was another study that looked
at the level of pollution inside the cars.

The cars had more pollution inside them: presumably "scooping it up".

Admittedly the people inside the cars are asleep and brain monitors
show no activity, so I guess they are perfectly safe :-)

cfsmtb said:

EuanB said:

From memory this was hashed over about six months ago. It's pretty much
as the report says: cycling for transport is a healthier option than
driving and all road users are the victims of particulate matter which
is much higher in Australia than in Europe.

Yes this recently came up on the BFA list, and if I can be bothered
digging it up, there probably was a a.b thread. Link to article below.

Clinicians prescribing exercise: is air pollution a hazard?: James E
Sharman
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_12_200605/sha10929_fm.html

Quote:
In summary, there is sound evidence for an exposure-dependent
relationship between air pollution, morbidity and mortality,
particularly in relation to cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.
Although regular aerobic exercise is recommended for good health, there
may be adverse health consequences for people who habitually exercise in
areas of high ambient pollution. Despite this, it is not uncommon to see
people running or cycling alongside congested roadways, and clinicians
should advise patients to exercise on quiet roads or in parks and
recreation areas. The best time of day to exercise is early in the
morning, before the build-up of traffic and when it is cooler. This is
relevant because the combination of sunlight and heat with certain
compounds increases ozone production. Importantly, certain groups may
be acutely susceptible to the effects of air pollution, and clinicians
should advise them accordingly.

***

Point taken, but isn't the main problem being avoided here? 😕

--
cfsmtb

AndrewJ said:

Last time I saw this issue raised, there was another study that looked
at the level of pollution inside the cars.

This is probably the study you're thinking of:

http://www.icta.org/doc/In-car%20pollution%20report.pdf

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Last time I saw this issue raised, there was another study that looked
at the level of pollution inside the cars.

The cars had more pollution inside them: presumably "scooping it up".

They measured pollution as a function of height. Cyclists were breathing
above the worst of the pollution and the air at car intake level was a
fair bit worse.