Is Walking Healthy? Study Says "NO"

The recent study has claimed that even a two-hour of exposure to air pollution, especially in the form of vehicular exhaust can nullify the positive impacts of walking. It can affect the lungs and hearts of the elderly severely, researchers have warned. The findings of the study has inferred that even short-term exposure to traffic exhaust can have negative impacts on both healthy people as well as those who are suffering from lungs-relate disorders like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronary disease.

According to a UN Children's Fund (Unicef) report, children's exposure to air pollution can permanently damage their brains.

"Combined with evidence from other studies, our findings underscore that we can't really tolerate the levels of air pollution that we currently find on our busy streets," Chung said.

Pregnant women who were exposed to traffic related pollutants especially PM2.5 were linked to 2-6% chances of low birth weight and 1-3% increased chances of being small for gestational age.