Ozone Exposure

Training hard can lead to some unusual pains for the amateurs we are.

We were all very surprised and a bit scared as well to experience chest pains while hiking. Thanks to Elodie, we know what happened now: Ozone exposure.

Ozone is in the lower atmostphere (the air we breath) an air pollutants created by cars emissions and other pollutants when there is sunlight. The more sun the more ozone and consequently ozone peaks are at the hotter hours around noon. And it is typically an urban pollution.

Of course, ozone exposure causes adverse health effects, lucky us. Symptoms of exposure include chest pain, but not only: feeling of irritation in the eyes, nose and throat, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

Outdoor activities are therefore not recommended when ozone levels are high.
But we did not know it and we did exercise in an urban area, on very sunny days and felt chest pains.
How do we check the level of ozone in HK?

The HKSAR Environmental Protection Department created an Index: The Air Pollution Index (API) than is monitored on a real time basis. Check the API out before going outdoor!
Besides, the website of the HKSAR Environmental Protection Department on Air is very clear and I highly recommend it.

To learn more about Ozone:
A very good Q&A on Ozone by the Dpt of Health of the State of New York Ozone Exposure 1
The WHO study on Ozone pollution Ozone Exposure 2
And an excellent summary of this study by Green Facts Ozone Exposure 3