Spending time at the Lakes in central Copenhagen could cause cardiovascular problems

Researchers suggest it is better to avoid roads with heavy traffic such as Øster Søgade

Spending as little as five hours wandering around the lakes in central Copenhagen can seriously affect your health, a new study suggests.

Every day, almost 27,000 vehicles travel down Øster Søgade, which runs from Vesterbro to Østerbro alongside the lakes, and researchers claim the traffic fumes are so intense they could lead to serious cardiovascular problems in a matter of hours. 

The three lakes – Sankt Jørgens Sø, Peblinge Sø, and Sortedams Sø – located between the city centre and Nørrebro/Frederiksberg (across four bodies of water), are a very popular destination for cyclists, runners, and pedestrians.

Jette Gjerke Hemmingsen, a PhD student at the Department of Public Health at the University of Copenhagen, believes it is therefore very important to investigate how pollution affects people's health.

High risk of developing cardiovascular disease
In the study, researchers exposed 60 moderately overweight people over 55 years old to the air from Øster Søgade for five hours and measured how the traffic-related pollution affected their cardiovascular system. 

"We could see their hearts were disturbed. We also measured their lungs and vessel function and saw that the blood vessels' ability to expand diminished.

These effects are associated with the increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease," Hemmingsen told Videnskab magazine.

While researchers focused on older people, other studies suggest young people could be affected by heavy pollution just as much, especially if they cycle. 

Avoid roads with heavy traffic
Professor Ole Hertel from Aarhus University agrees that pollution from busy traffic on roads in Copenhagen can harm people's health.

"We have strong reason to believe that exposure to high concentrations of air pollution has an effect on health — both in the short and longer term," Hertel told Videnskab.

He recommends that Copenhageners who care about their health should avoid the most congested roads and walk or cycle on less busy streets.

"Cyclists can reduce their exposure to traffic pollution by up to 30 percent if the choose a route that is perhaps a little longer but avoids the busiest roads," Hertel noted.

Busiest roads in Copenhagen

Gyldenløvesgade: 67,600 vehicles per day

HC Andersens Boulevard: 55,400 vehicles per day

Nørre Søgade: 32,100 vehicles per day

Øster Søgade: 26,900 vehicles per day

Jagtvej: 18,700 vehicles per day

(Source: Ole Hertel)

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs