SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2022
The Acute Effects of Exercising in Air Pollution: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of the inhaled dose of air pollution on health: a systematic review.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2025Pooled it
- Examining the effect of salbutamol use in ozone air pollution by people with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.Physiological reports · 2024Trial
- Pulmonary and cardiovascular responses to repeated ozone exposure during exercise in adults with exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- The 2026 Men's FIFA Football World Cup: Evidence-Based Guidelines to Protect Player Health and Performance from Environmental Challenges.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Association of bedroom particulate matter, sleep quality and next-day physical performance.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A feasibility study evaluating the usability and acceptability of the personalised space technology exercise platform mobile application.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Air Pollution and Its Impact on Health and Performance in Football Players.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Paris air quality monitoring for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics: focus on air pollutants and pollen.British journal of sports medicine · 2024Article
- Physiological impacts of atmospheric pollution: Effects of environmental air pollution on exercise.Physiological reports · 2024Review
- Effects of Air Pollution on the Health of Older Adults during Physical Activities: Mapping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Influence and Mechanisms of Action of Environmental Stimuli on Work Near and Above the Severe Domain Boundary (Critical Power).Sports medicine - open · 2022Review
- Does Exercise Overcome Pollution? Why Physical Activity is Still Our Best Medicine.Open respiratory archivesArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe acute effects of air pollution (AP) exposure during physical activity have been studied. However, comprehensive systematic reviews are lacking, particularly regarding moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
objectiveOur objective was to determine the acute health- and exercise-related effects of AP exposure during a bout of MVPA in healthy individuals.
methodsWe searched for randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, SPORTDiscus, Agricultural and Environmental Science Database, ClinicalTrials.gov, International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Registry, and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform up to July 2020 without language or date restrictions. Studies including healthy subjects engaging in a bout of MVPA while exposed to one or more of the following air pollutants were eligible: particulate matter, black carbon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, diesel exhaust, and traffic-related air pollution (TRAP). Main outcome measures were markers of pulmonary function, symptoms, cardiovascular function, cognitive function, systemic inflammation, and exercise response. The evidence was synthesized by vote counting based on direction of effect.
resultsIn total, 53 studies were included in the systematic review. Studies employed a heterogeneous mix of exercise protocols, AP interventions, and measured outcomes. Pooled results suggest ozone exposure during MVPA has an adverse effect on pulmonary function (100% [95% confidence interval (CI) 88-100], p < 0.001; high-certainty evidence) and reported symptoms (88% [95% CI 69-96], p < 0.001; low-certainty evidence). The effect of exposure to carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, small engine exhaust, or diesel exhaust during MVPA on health- and exercise-related outcomes is uncertain because of insufficient evidence and the low to very low certainty of available evidence. DISCUSSION: The evidence is strongest for ozone, exposure to which generally induced a reduction in pulmonary function and increased symptoms during MVPA. The research related to other outcome domains remains inconclusive. Although long-term exposure to AP is proven to be hazardous, the evidence for healthy individuals to forgo MVPA during periods of high (non-ozone) pollution remains weak.
trial registrationRetrospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020188280) on 10 July 2020.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.