GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON PARTICULATE MATTER

 

GENERAL QUESTIONNAIRE ON  PARTICULATE MATTER

April ‘2021

 

 

 

1. What is particulate matter?

Particulate matter (PM) has a diameter of or below 10 microns and is referred to as PM10. Dust particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns are referred to as PM 2.5 or PM 1 for particles below 1 micrometer.
Particulate matter comes from multiple sources, and is generated during the combustion of fossil fuels and wood. Fine dust is also generated by abrasion and by airborne dust. Other emissions, such as from agricultural sources (sulfur oxides, ammonia, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds-VOC) also impact human health.

The control of particulate matter pollution is of considerable importance in the protection of human health: PM10 fine dust particles are able to enter the bronchial tubes and finer particles may migrate unhindered into the deepest airways all the way into the blood stream. This particulate matter causes inflammatory reactions of the respiratory tract, which can lead to serious health problems such as COPD, bronchitis, lung cancer but also strokes and circulatory problems.

 

2) Which category of particulate matter is most harmful to human health ?

How does air polluted with particulate matter affect human beings ?

 

Regarding the size of particles, the smaller the particle size the greater will be the damage the cause to the living bodies. For the chemical composition, the presence of silica and asbestos particles exerts destruction of the respiratory vessels and the whole system damage. Particle size less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter is more harmful to human beings cause particles can affect both your lungs and your heart.

3) Particulate matter, how small is it?

Particulate matter is a collective name for all particles that are present in the air. The larger particles like dust and pollen are visible, but the smaller particulate matter is so small you cannot see it. This is what makes particulate matter an intangible subject, you cannot see it and therefore you do not know it is there. However, this does not mean that it does not affect your health. Research shows that particulate matter affects your health at all concentrations and especially the smallest particles are the most harmful to your body. But how small is particulate matter actually?

Particulate matter is, based on the size of the particle, classified in four groups: PM10, PM2.5, PM1 and Ultra-fine particulate matter. To clarify how small this really is, we compare the size of the largest particle from each particulate matter group with the diameter of a human hair.

4) What is PM10 ?

Particulate matter that is classified as PM10, are all particles that are smaller than 1/5th of a human hair. These particles are smaller than 0.001 cm. By comparison, the largest PM10 particle fits 1.000 times in 1 cm.

Examples of PM10 particles are pollen, fungi and red blood cells.

5) What is PM2.5 ?

Particulate matter that is classified as PM2.5, are all particles that are smaller than 1/20th of a human hair. These particles are smaller than 0.00025 cm. By comparison, the largest PM2.5 particles fits 4.000 times in 1 cm.

Examples of PM2.5 particles are bacteria, combustion particles and organic compounds.

 

6) What are PM1 and Ultra-fine particulate matter

PM1 is, together with Ultra-fine particulate matter, the smallest particulate matter and also most dangerous to your health. These particles are so small that they easily pass through the lung vesicles and reach the entire body. Ultra-fine particulate matter even ends up in the brain.

PM1 particles are 1/50th of a human hair and are smaller than 0.0001 cm. By comparison, the largest PM1 particle fits 10.000 times in 1 cm. The largest Ultra-fine particle even fits 100.000 times in 1 cm.

Examples of PM1 and Ultra-fine particles are traffic emissions, combustion particles, cigarette smoke and viruses.