Cycling and walking a good thing – even in polluted cities
The risks from air pollution don't negate health benefits of active travel in the vast majority of cities, according to study
Walking and cycling even in the most polluted of cities is still better for you than staying indoors, a study from researchers at the University of Cambridge has shown.
Regular exercise – walking, running, cycling – can slash people's risk of developing serious illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and strokes, according to the National Health Service.
There are worries, however, regarding the risks people exercising in towns and cities face from air pollution.
A recent joint report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Physicians linked outdoor air exposure to around 40,000 deaths in the U.K. every year.
As well as being connected to thousands of deaths, the report stated that exposure to outdoor air pollution costs the U.K. economy over £20 billion (US$28.2 billion) every year.
However, the new study, conducted by researchers from the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR), a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, University of East Anglia, and the Medical Research Council, found that the risks from air pollution would not "negate the health benefits of active travel in the vast majority of urban areas worldwide," according the University of Cambridge.