Air Quality and Lung Health for Athletes

State and borough air-quality regulators are working to develop programs and staff to help clean up air pollution that sets in on cold winter days in Fairbanks. (Credit KUAC file photo)
State and borough air-quality regulators are working to develop programs and staff to help clean up air pollution that sets in on cold winter days in Fairbanks. (KUAC file photo)

The air you breathe keeps you alive, and it should always be pure and healthy, but for outdoor athletes, air quality means much more, whether you’re an elite runner or if you are just huffing and puffing up a hill on your bicycle. Bad air is damaging to your lungs and can exacerbate problems like asthma that affect your ability to exercise, and can even be dangerous. On the next Outdoor Explorer, we’re going to learn about both parts of this equation: the quality of our air in Anchorage and around Alaska, and how our bodies handle the air, including how our lungs respond to pollution, when you should cool it because of bad air, and how you can deal with asthma.

Listen now:

HOST: Charles Wohlforth

GUESTS: 

  • Anne Schlapia, Anchorage air quality monitoring program
  • Marge Stoneking, American Lung Association in Alaska
  • Dr. Owen Hanley, retired pulmonologist

LINKS:

BROADCAST: Thursday, May 21, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. AKDT

REPEAT BROADCAST:  Thursday, May 21, 2015, 9:00 – 10:00 p.m. AKDT

SUBSCRIBE: Receive Outdoor Explorer automatically every week via

Go to OUTDOOREXPLORER.ORG

Audio to be posted following broadcast

 

cwohlforth (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | About Charles

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