Investigating the trend of hourly changes of air pollutants in Tehran during 2004 to 2008 and exercise recommendations for athletes and patients

Regarding negative effects of air pollution on health and athletic performance، this study was run to determine the trend of hourly changes of air pollutants in Tehran (2004 to 2008) and recommend exercise advices for athletes and patients. After getting data from 7 air pollutant monitoring stations، the hourly means of air pollutant concentrations were measured and converted to Air Quality index (AQI) values. To find the cleanest and the most polluted hours in exercise places (parks and stadiums)، map of Tehran air pollution was created using data from monitoring stations and Arc GIS software. Exercise advices were recommended according to latest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) standpoints. Fine particles less than 10 micrometer (PM10)، carbon monoxide (CO) and ozone (O3) were major air pollutants in Tehran. Hourly concentration changes of PM10 were minimal and beyond the desired level. Overall، the cleanest hours were early morning (before 7 am) and then 17 to 18. ‍ It is better to perform physical activities in early hours of morning (before 7 am) in Tehran. Regarding the existence of air pollution in all hours of day and night، efforts to reduce air pollution are critical.