Can a 4-hour stroll by traffic strain young hearts and lungs?
NCT ID NCT04153539
First seen Sep 02, 2026 · Last updated Sep 03, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers in Shanghai are testing whether breathing traffic-related air pollution during a short walk affects heart and lung function. Healthy young adults will either walk along a busy road or in a traffic-free park for 4.5 hours, alternating walking and rest. The team will measure lung capacity, blood pressure, and heart rate variability before and after. The goal is to understand the acute health effects of everyday exposure to traffic pollution.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Walking along a busy road with traffic-related air pollution exposure
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could clarify how short-term traffic pollution affects heart and lung function, informing urban planning and public health advice.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study in healthy young adults, so results may not apply to other groups. Exposure is brief, and effects may be subtle or reversible.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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69 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2019
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 30 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Living in Shanghai during the study period; * Body mass index \> 18.5 and ≤ 28; * Non-smoking, no history of alcohol or drug abuse; * Completing the walking task we required. Exclusion Criteria: * Current or ever smokers; * Subjects with allergic disease, such as allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, and atopy; * Subjects with cardiovascular disease, such as congenital heart disease, pulmonary heart disease, and hypertension; * Subjects with respiratory disease, such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; * Subjects wih chronic disease, such as diabetes, chronic hepatitis, and kidney disease; * Subjects with a history of major surgery; * Abnormal spirometry (FEV1 and FVC ≤ 75% of predicted and FEV1/FVC ≤ 0.65); * Medication use or dietary supplements intake in recent two months;
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200032, China
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.