The Diamond League athletic series: does the air quality sparkle?

James R Hodgson,Lee Chapman,Francis D Pope

doi:10.1007/s00484-021-02114-z

James R Hodgson, Lee Chapman + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-021-02114-z

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Abstract

Urban air pollution can have negative short- and long-term impacts on health, including cardiovascular, neurological, immune system and developmental damage. The irritant qualities of pollutants such as ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) can cause respiratory and cardiovascular distress, which can be heightened during physical activity and particularly so for those with respiratory conditions such as asthma. Previously, research has only examined marathon run outcomes or running under laboratory settings. This study focuses on elite 5-km athletes performing in international events at nine locations. Local meteorological and air quality data are used in conjunction with race performance metrics from the Diamond League Athletics series to determine the extent to which elite competitors are influenced during maximal sustained efforts in real-world conditions. The findings from this study suggest that local meteorological variables (temperature, wind speed and relative humidity) and air quality (ozone and particulate matter) have an impact on athletic performance. Variation between finishing times at different race locations can also be explained by the local meteorology and air quality conditions seen during races.

Highlights

Introduction and backgroundPoor urban air quality (UAQ) is a serious worldwide environmental issue with detrimental impacts on human health and the wider environment (European Commission 2017a, 2017b; Kampa and Castanas 2008; Lim et al 2012; Walton et al 2015)
Temperature is the more influential parameter on performance and athletes are able to run faster in cooler but more humid conditions (Bigazzi 2017). This has been previously shown by Daniels (2014), Helou et al (2012) and Knechtle et al (2019) examining marathon events, where each 5oC increase in temperature will decrease performance by up to 1.6%
This has the potential for a greater number of people being exposed to harmful pollution levels, putting greater strain on population health, associated health services and productivity (Kumbhakar et al 2021). This highlights the need for additional research into the effect of air pollution and meteorology on athletic performance and health, as well as the best methods to mitigate detrimental outcomes at local and international sporting events and during recreational exercise

Summary

Introduction and background

Poor urban air quality (UAQ) is a serious worldwide environmental issue with detrimental impacts on human health and the wider environment (European Commission 2017a, 2017b; Kampa and Castanas 2008; Lim et al 2012; Walton et al 2015). Shorter-term effects including cardiovascular and respiratory distress and irritation are common in the wider populations, and heightened for those with preexisting conditions (Burnett et al 2014; Lelieveld et al 2015). The main pollutants concerning human health are nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM: Particles with a diameter of 10 μm (PM10) and 2.5 μm (PM2.5) or less, Rajagopalan et al 2018; Sun and Zhu 2019). As well as short-term irritation of the nose, mouth, throat and cardio-respiratory systems, these pollutants, along with others, can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, reduced lung function and asthma (Burnett et al 2014; EEA 2013; Lelieveld et al 2015).

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