Exercise and air pollution

Abstract

Abstract Will the air quality in Los Angeles be a matter of concern for athletes participating in the 1984 Olympics? This question and corollaries of it are being asked with increasing frequency as the time of the Olympics nears. This review identifies the major pollutants that have been shown to produce physiological changes which can and may effect athletic performance. Ozone is the major contaminant of Los Angles air which in recent times has received major research interest. Specifically, ozone has been documented as a potent airway irritant capable of initiating its effects at concentrations as low as 0.30 ppm. Recent evidence indicates that, when integrated with the sustained high ventilation volumes of the elite athlete, ozone's airway constrictive effect is manifest at concentrations of 0.20 ppm. The effect of ozone causes an increase in breathing rate and a decrease in tidal volume for a given workload along with substernal pain. At the current ambient levels it is unlikely that sulphur dioxide w...