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Blake, Wm. Milton's Mysterious Dream. 1816.

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A new study found that air pollution is making people lazier. Scientists in the UK claim pollution levels in their nation are causing an extra 22 minutes of inactivity per day.

Rising levels of nitrogen dioxide, a common air pollutant, were linked to this increase in sedentary behavior.

The study involved 644 individuals, using accelerometers to track their activity over three years. Researchers defined inactivity as time spent lying down, sitting, reclining, or standing without moving. 

Dr. Jonathan Goldney: “This could encourage more time spent indoors and less time being active outside, creating a vicious cycle that increases the risk of chronic diseases. If air pollution is indeed driving this rise in inactivity, measures like low emission zones could significantly impact individual sedentary behaviors and have a profound effect on public health.”

This isn’t the only surprising byproduct of air pollution. Researchers earlier this month concluded that pollutants adversely affect male fertility, impacting basic sperm parameters such as sperm concentration, sperm motility, morphology, and semen volume.