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Outside Magazine November 2004

Bodywork: The Pollution Solution
Bad Air Days (cont.)
Meet the Villains and the AQ Test

By Grant Davis

Intro | Meet the Villains and the AQ Test | The Oxygen Network

Meet the Villains
OZONE forms naturally when heat from the sun alters oxygen molecules by combining them with oxides, mostly from nitrogen oxides, to form O3. This is the stuff that burns your eyes and throat on dirty days and leads to asthma.
ORIGIN: Nitrogen Oxides, primarily from automobile exhaust, ramp up ozone production to toxic levels.

PARTICULATES, the visible and invisible dust and soot you might see on a white tablecloth at an outdoor bistro, end up in your lungs. This junk causes your throat and nose to constrict, immediately reducing lung capacity. With enough exposure, the effect can be permanent.
ORIGIN: Diesel engines, dust, smoke, coal-fired power plants, industrial factories, and cigarettes.

The AQ Test
On the weather page, your local paper publishes that day's Air Quality Index (AQI) score on a scale of 0 to 500. Here's what it means:

AQI: 0–50
HEALTH LEVEL: Good
TRAINING NOTES: High-intensity sports like soccer, basketball, and sprinting are A-OK.

AQI: 51–100
HEALTH LEVEL: Moderate
TRAINING NOTES: All outdoor
activities get a green light, but for high-intensity workouts, you should avoid midday's peak ozone hours.

AQI: 101–150
HEALTH LEVEL: Unhealthy
for sensitive groups
TRAINING NOTES: Do not engage in any moderate to high-intensity sessions on these days. Easy training—slow and steady exercise—is the limit.

AQI: 151–500
HEALTH LEVEL: Unhealthy
to hazardous
TRAINING NOTES: What are you doing outside, for chrissakes?!

Next Page: The Oxygen Network

Intro | Meet the Villains and the AQ Test | The Oxygen Network

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