The problem of poor air quality in Poland was not taken seriously for a long time. Today such initiatives as the Polish Smog Alert inform that our country has the most polluted air in the whole European Union. In spite of the environment contaminated with harmful chemicals, you can still come across sportsmen doing different sports outside in the “fresh” air. The effort, increased metabolism, quickened breath and boosted ventilation during workout heighten the risk of the assimilation of dangerous substances by the organism. The most vulnerable are joggers who plan their routes in the proximity of busy streets. The First Warsaw Anti-Smog Race took place in 2015.

In the picture a runner wearing an anti-smog mask during a workout in the centre of Warsaw.