Personal dose during cardiovascular exercise: Links between PM2.5/PM10 concentration levels, activity intensity and health risk

Cardiovascular exercise is a popular activity that aims to improve physical fitness and overall health, however practicing outdoors enhances pollutant inhalation. The main objective was to estimate the dose received by inhalation of airborne particles during cardiovascular exercise in urban environments. Dosimetry simulations used particle mass concentrations (PM 2.5 , PM 2.5-10 ) to estimate the deposited dose in the human respiratory tract that assumed a young and healthy adult male and female train at variable activity intensities. Hourly dose rates were substantially increased with activity intensity due to increased inhaled volumes, with a 9.5-fold increase from rest (60 bpm) to high-intensity exercise (170 bpm). PM levels played also a crucial role as increased concentrations were linked with increased deposition rates. Heating, and Sahara events comprised the most burdened cases with unfavorable conditions for exercise. Higher % nasal contribution for female trainees was the reason for higher deposition in the anterior nose compared to male trainees. Linking these results with a health risk showed that females have an increased risk related to a health outcome in the upper respiratory tract whereas male trainees have increased risk for a health impact in the lungs. Overall, health risk analysis verified the negative impact of elevated PM concentrations and the enhanced risk accompanied by increased intensity for experienced trainees. To prevent negative health outcomes, trainees are recommended to practice in areas with reduced particulate pollution (e.g suburban areas) and during times of the day where concentrations are expected to be lower.