Let's protect ourselves from the risks of running in the city

One of the fundamental points of our mission is to raise people's awareness of the issue of air pollution . Our Urban Masks were born in 2018, well before the health emergency, precisely to protect us from the invisible enemies of our health, even when you practice physical activity in the city.

We asked Antonella, a passionate runner , to preview our Urban Active Mask and her opinion was very interesting for us. Meanwhile Antonella introduces herself saying:

“For me, running is freedom, carefree and happiness.”

And it's true, running is of vital importance as it guarantees both physical and mental well-being but running in the city involves risks : Milan, like many other capitals of our peninsula, has very high levels of air pollution and our PPE certificates serve precisely to protect us from all this.

During running, in fact, our breathing rate increases and this leads to an increase in the probability of inhaling harmful substances as the number of breaths per minute increases; as underlined by Antonella during her test, this data is fundamental for a runner to evaluate the margin of improvement in his performance but, at the same time, it is an indicator to keep under control with regards to health.

By connecting the Urban Active Mask to the Narvalo app it is possible to record the route and understand the quantity of pollutants that have not been inhaled during your activity.

“I just finished my 5.6 km run in a time of 27 minutes,” says Antonella, “my average pace was 4:49 min/km and my breathing rate was 25 breaths per minute, thanks to the App I also know that I avoided inhaling the exhaust fumes and fine particles present in the air of Milan. ”

Protection from harmful particles is guaranteed by the 5-layer technology of the filters designed to protect the user during every city trip. Furthermore, the data relating to the pollution of the surrounding air is provided in real time by our Narvalo App.

Air pollution is in fact a problem that affects many Italian cities, first and foremost those located in the Po Valley. These high levels of pollution are dangerous not only for the urban environment but also highly harmful to our health: respiratory problems , which have clearly increased in recent years, are one of the main causes of mortality.

But, at this point, the question of many will be: "What effect does running with a mask have?"

Antonella gave us the answer after completing her journey:

“My experience with the Urban Active Mask is more than positive: right from the start I felt a great sensation of freshness and the air circulated easily, even in the last kilometers where the fatigue was more evident I was able to breathe effortlessly. I was definitely amazed, I didn't think I would be able to complete my journey with a mask but thanks to the ventilation it felt like I wasn't wearing anything on my face.”

As underlined by Antonella, the ventilation system present inside the Active Shield with different adjustable speeds optimizes the air flow inside the mask in order to guarantee an incredible feeling of freshness at all times and facilitate breathing even at a time when our body is put to the test; furthermore, thanks to the sensors inside the Active Shield, the speed of the extraction fan adapts to the user's breathing.

In conclusion we can thank Antonella for her testimony, underlining that practicing physical activity is a must but, to avoid running into dangers that can jeopardize our health, it is essential to protect ourselves adequately by using the necessary devices.