Abstract
Research into exercise and particulate air quality demonstrated that increased physical activity and the related increase in minute ventilation are decisive factors enhancing the effect of polluted air on the well-being and/or health of the examined individuals. As the intensity of exposure increases, so does the amount of inhaled particulate matter. These facts were among the main subjects of heated discussions during the preparatory phase of the XXIX Summer Olympic Games, held in August 2008 in Beijing, China, because this megalopolis is one of the most polluted urban areas in the world. To assess the effect of air pollution on the elite athletes health, ambient temperature, relative humidity and particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter below 10 μm (PM10) were measured during the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing between August 3 and 24, 2009 in the Beijing Olympic Village. Continuous (15-minute) temperature and relative humidity values were monitored by a datalogging thermo-hygrometer, and PM10 measurements were performed by a fast-responding DustTrak nephelometer. The temperature and PM10 concentrations were significantly higher during the week preceding the Olympic Games than during the Games. In contrast, the relative humidity was lower during the pre-Games period than during the Games. One possible explanation for this fact is that the promised restrictions of emissions in the traffic and industrial sector may have been successful; at the same time, however, decreased ambient temperature and increased frequency of rain presumably contributed to the substantial improvements in weather and pollution conditions. According to our results, we can conclude that the participants at the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in Beijing were not at risk from poor air quality in terms of health and/or performance.
Highlights
Research into exercise and particulate air quality demonstrated that increased physical activity and the related increase in minute ventilation are decisive factors enhancing the effect of polluted air on the well-being and/or health of the examined individuals
The PM10 concentrations were highly variable during the monitoring period (The time series of the PM10 concentrations are depicted in Fig. 2 and the descriptive statistics are given in Tab. 1)
The maximum concentrations were recorded before the beginning of the event around 2 A.M. on the 7th of August (661 μg/m3) and around 2 AM on the 8th of August (559 μg/m3); a high maximum was recorded on the first day (August 9) of the Olympic games period (546 μg/m3)
Summary
Research into exercise and particulate air quality demonstrated that increased physical activity and the related increase in minute ventilation are decisive factors enhancing the effect of polluted air on the well-being and/or health of the examined individuals. A number of scientific papers tried to predict the impact of pollution on the performance of elite athletes participating in the games (Brajer and Mead, 2003; Streets et al, 2007; Borresen, 2008; Lippi et al, 2008; McKenzie and Boulet, 2008; Mead and Brajer, 2008; Salthammer, 2008) Because of these predictions, the main aim of our monitoring was to provide the Czech Olympic support team with relevant information which could be used to adjust the daily regime of athletes according to the expected unfavourable environmental conditions.
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