Impact Assessment of Saline Aerosols on Exercise Capacity of Athletes

Abstract

The treatment in natural salt mines (speleotherapy) was known since a very long time ago; the miners and other persons involved in these activities might have known about the great effects of the microclimate within salt mines upon human health, long before they were described in a book published by a Polish doctor in 1843. The effectiveness of speleotherapy is associated with the unique cave microclimate; the sodium chloride aerosols represent the main curative factor. The saline aerosols are formed off the salt walls by convective diffusion.[1] Halotherapy is the natural therapy method which boroughs the main curative factor for speleotherapy, meaning the saline aerosol particles dispersed in the salt mine microclimate.[2]The salt room microclimate should have a constant humidity (a relative air humidity of 40-60%) and a temperature of 18-24¼ Celsius, as these parameters create favourable conditions for patients and they are a stable environment for aerosols.[3-4] The precinct should also ensure a stable environment, bacteria- and allergen-free; studies have shown that the microbial contamination during a halotherapy session is of 130-200 saprophyte microorganisms to 1m3 of air (the WHO standards regarding air sterility are of > 300 microorganisms/1m3 air). Thus, a 10-20minutes break after each session is necessary to purify the air within the chamber.[1]