00:02A new study has found that bad air quality can lead to respiratory symptoms at lower exposure levels than previously
00:10thought even in relatively clean environments.
00:13It is due to the human respiratory system being extremely sensitive to short-term fine particulate matter fluctuations.
00:21Researchers from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, Tsinghua University in China and the sleep technology company Sleep
00:30Cycle analyzed coughing sounds from around 1,000 users of the Sleep Cycle app across 32 cities in 12 countries
00:39over 500 days.
00:40In addition to immediate respiratory irritation, nighttime coughing also disrupts sleep which could link acute air pollution exposure to broader
00:50systemic consequences.
00:52Across the 13 European cities included in the study, average daily fine particulate matter concentrations ranged from a low in
01:01Uppsala, Sweden to a high in Bergamo, Italy.
