A Portuguese study has found that many gyms suffer from poor air quality.
Ostensibly, most people go to the gym with the goal of improving their overall health, but a new study from Portugal suggests that the air quality in many indoor gyms may be having the opposite effect. Researchers in Lisbon used air quality monitors to take readings of pollutant levels in 11 gyms across the city, focusing on the busiest times of day, such as the after-work rush. What they found was not good news for those of us who go to the gym regularly: All of the gyms had levels of airborne pollutants that significantly exceeded standards for healthy air quality.
The most common pollutants were dust, carbon dioxide and, unpleasantly, formaldehyde. When inhaled in excessive amounts, dust and formaldehyde can both cause respiratory problems, and carbon dioxide can cause dizziness and disorientation. The researchers found that the worst air conditions occurred during exercise classes like yoga and aerobics, when many people were in an enclosed space at once, exhaling carbon dioxide and kicking up dust. Moreover, the researchers emphasized that people are more vulnerable to air pollutants while exercising, since they breathe mostly through the mouth, rather than filtering the air through the nose first.
However, according to Carla Ramos, the study's lead author, these findings are not a reason to give up on going to the gym and let fitness fall by the wayside during the winter. None of the commonly found pollutants were deadly (the gyms all tested negative for carbon monoxide), and the benefits of physical activity still largely outweigh the risks of poor air quality.
If you own or work in a gym and are concerned about the air quality, contact us at US Air Purifiers. We have a large selection of commercial air purifiers and will help you find the best air purifier for dust, one of the main culprits in gyms' unhealthy air.