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Effect of air pollution on marathon running performance
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA. lmarr@vt.edu
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
|December 3, 2009
Summary
Marathon runners
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sports Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Concerns about air pollution impacting marathon performance, particularly before the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
- Limited data on air pollutant concentrations during marathons and their specific effects on runner performance.
- Potential for greater susceptibility of female lung function to air pollution, with unknown implications for marathon outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document ambient air pollutant levels during major US marathons.
- To quantify how air pollutant concentrations affect marathon running performance.
- To investigate if there are sex-based differences in marathon performance related to air pollution exposure.
Main Methods:
- Collected marathon results, weather data, and air pollutant concentrations from seven marathons over 8-28 years.
- Analyzed top male and female finishing times against course records, considering air pollutant levels and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT).
- Calculated WBGT-adjusted performance decrements and used regression analysis to link pollutants to performance changes.
Main Results:
- Measured concentrations for carbon monoxide, ozone, PM(10), PM(2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide.
- After WBGT adjustment, only particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers (PM(10)) significantly impacted women's marathon performance.
- A 1.4% decrease in performance was observed for every 10-microg x m(-3) increase in PM(10) for female runners.
Conclusions:
- Marathon air pollution levels generally remained below national health standards and levels affecting lung function in lab settings.
- Particulate matter smaller than 10 micrometers (PM(10)) showed a significant correlation with reduced performance in women marathon runners.
- While overall pollution levels were often within safe limits, PM(10) specifically poses a risk to female marathon performance.
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