Canaries at the Climbing Wall: A Comparative Study of Particulate Matter at Two University Climbing Walls

Abstract

Magnesium alba—chalk—is regularly applied by indoor and outdoor climbers to their hands to reduce sweat while climbing in order to grip climbing holds. We investigated the potential for suspended chalk dust to lead to unhealthy levels of indoor particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) in two university climbing facilities. Low-cost, Dylos DC 1700 PM monitors sampled air quality during two, 5-day sampling periods. Findings revealed “good” PM values at one university climbing facility and “unhealthy” (PM_2.5) or “very unhealthy” (PM₁₀) values at the other institution’s climbing wall. Facility predicted over 60% of the variance in PM readings, and post hoc tests revealed 75% of the variance in PM values at the second institution can be explained by open climbing hours. These findings hold a variety of implications for future research and management of university climbing wall facilities to ensure the health of staff and their patrons.