Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Air pollution can lead to a variety of health conditions and diseases, while at the same time, exercise and physical activity are important means of preventing and treating disease. However, in many communities where air quality is poor much of the time, there is a concern that exercise can increase the dose of pollution and possibility the ill effects of pollution on the human body. However, the interaction between air pollutants and human function is poorly understood. Air pollution is a mix of solid and liquid particles, and gases. This mixture varies by location, time of day, weather and season. In the past we have done a lot of research to characterise how diesel exhaust affects the human response to exercise. However, one pollutant that we have not yet been able to test is ground level ozone. This is a gas that is created by the modification of other pollutants by the sun. It is present in cities and traffic, typically on hot and sunny days. Ozone seems to affect the respiratory system more than other pollutants, in both healthy people and those with asthma. Interestingly, humans might to have an ability to adapt to ozone over time though. Therefore, research is required to understand how ozone interacts with the human body during exercise and what is the mechanism by which humans can adapt to ozone. The results of this work could help us not only understand how ozone affects the human body, but also can lead to recommendations or strategies on how best to adapt to ozone. We have a long track record of conducting pollution exposure studies with other types of pollutants, but do not have the capability to do this work with ozone. Currently, we know of now facilities in Canada capable of providing a safe ozone exposure during exercise in humans. The proposed grant would fund upgrades to our existing facilities that would allow us to provide that capability. The equipment would be modular so it could be moved between the laboratories of the co-applicants for different applications from atmospheric chemistry to more invasive research involving collecting samples from within the lungs.