Hi again! I know we’ve moved on from the topic of chalk but just wanted to share something interesting I discovered while doing a bit more reading on the topic of indoor air pollution in climbing gyms. I came across this website which raised a concerning point on the increased uptake of particulate matter during periods of high exertion:

“When athletes and climbers are engaged in physical activity, they have an increase in respiratory minute ventilation which has a proportional effect on increasing the quantity of PM that is inhaled” 

The formal term respiratory minute ventilation is pretty new to me so I went to do some research on it and thought I’d share my findings! As I’m sure many of us would know from experience, our breathing tends to get heavier during exercise. This is the body’s respiratory response to ensure sufficient oxygenation to  the muscles and organs to match the level of exercise. During exertion, oxygen consumption increases by approximately 12 ml.min−1 per watt (Lumb, 2017).

Respiratory minute ventilation refers to “the quantity of air moved into and out of the lungs in a minute and dictates CO2 elimination from alveoli” (Gedeon, 2009), and has a mostly linear relationship with increasing oxygen consumption (Lumb, 2017). It is therefore understood that with exercise, greater quantities of air is put through our respiratory system. In cases like climbing gyms which see elevated concentrations of particulate matter, this would mean a consequently greater uptake of pollutants. Given the health impacts that inhalation of particulate matter can lead to, I think the above information further adds to the need for more research and monitoring into indoor air pollution in climbing gyms. Stay safe everyone!

References 

Gedeon, M. (2009). Chapter 52 – Pulmonary Disorders. In A. L. Eastman, D.A. Rosenbaum & E. Thal (Eds.). Parkland Trauma Handbook (Third Edition) (pp. 438-452). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-05226-9.50058-X

Lumb, A. B. (2017). Chapter 13 – Exercise. In A. B. Lumb (Ed.). Nunn’s Applied Respiratory Physiology (Eight Edition) (pp. 227-234). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-7020-6294-0.00013-7