Regular exercise has once again proven its benefits to people's health. According to a new study, the benefits of simple exercise routines like walking and cycling outweigh the threats of air pollution.
Regular Walking And Cycling Are Beneficial
The study, which was done by researchers from the University of Cambridge, found that 16 hours of walking and seven hours of cycling every day have benefits even in the most polluted cities in the world, BBC reported. The research was published in the journal Preventive Medicine.
Air pollution levels in Delhi, India, for example, are 10 times higher than in London, but people who regularly exercise in there remain healthy, according to the study's lead author Dr. Marko Tainio. Dr. James Woodcock, a co-author of the research, said just because exercise has benefits to the people, it doesn't mean that the government will not take action in fighting air pollution.
Escalating Air Pollution Levels
Air pollution both in urban and rural areas have become so escalated that it caused 3.7 million premature deaths globally in 2012, according to the World Health Organization. About 88 percent of these premature deaths happened in nations that are populated with low and middle-class people.
Air pollution also increases the risk of developing cancer. A 2013 study by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, said air pollution is one of the causes of cancer of the lung and urinary tract/bladder.
Air pollution occurs indoors as well. Three billion people who cook and heat their homes using biomass fuel and coal acquire the bad effects of air pollution. That practice is common among people living in low and middle income countries.
Air Pollution Warnings Issued In the U.K.
In the United Kingdom, experts believe that air pollution will be fatal to around 200,000 individuals, Mirror reported. The country's air toxicity level exceeds pollution limits established by the WHO and the European Union.
Temperatures continue to soar in southeast England and the Midlands, as well as western Scotland and Northern Ireland, the Guardian reported. Air pollution warnings have been issued to people living in these areas.
The combination of sunshine and polluted air can trigger shortness of breath among vulnerable people including those who have lung or heart disorders. Individuals who have asthma and are experiencing tightness in their chest or shortness of breath are advised by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, or DEFRA, to stay indoors if they need not go outside.
