Athletes’ app now offers personalised air pollution exposure data

Air Aware Labs, who specialise in developing real-time, high-resolution air quality modelling solutions to combat personal exposure to air pollution, has announced its integration with Strava, the leading social platform for athletes.

This strategic integration brings real-time air quality insights to athletes around the globe, enabling them to understand and reduce their exposure to harmful air pollutants like PM2.5 and NO2.

Athletes are especially vulnerable to air pollution due to their increased respiratory rate and demand for oxygen, mouth breathing and long exposure times. In addition to health issues, research has also found that air pollution exposures during training can impact race performances.

By using advanced air quality modelling, Air Aware Labs now provides Strava users with personalised air pollution exposure data. Athletes can make informed decisions about training times and locations, optimising both their health and performance.

Louise Thomas, CEO of Air Aware Labs, said: ‘Our integration with Strava is a major leap forward in our mission to make clean air accessible for all. By equipping athletes with critical air quality information, we empower them to protect their health while pursuing their fitness and performance goals. This is just the beginning of our journey to reduce the impact of air pollution on health and athletic performance, especially with the upcoming Olympics spotlighting the importance of this issue.’

While the initial focus is on supporting athletes, Air Aware Labs is dedicated to extending the benefits of its technology to wider audiences, including families and individuals with respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Dr William Hicks, co-founder and CSO, explains, “’As we look beyond the athletic community, our goal is to provide actionable insights into air quality for everyone, particularly for asthmatics and families living in high-pollution areas. The integration with Strava showcases our technology’s potential to make a significant difference in public health. It’s a powerful tool to combat the adverse effects of air pollution.’