Particulate Matter

Why should one say that the machine does not live? It breathes, for its breath forms the atmosphere of some towns — Benjamin Disraeli

Particulate Matter
Particulate Matter

image by: Max Chen

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Time for Plain Talk about Particulate Matter

As writer Mike Bell writes, "The term 'third-hand smoke sounds preposterous." But as his excellent (and funny!) Vice article points out, a University of California, Riverside study has found that third-hand smoke is not only real, it can cause cancer and other damage just like its big brothers first- and second-hand smoke.

No-one who has even a slight understanding of particulate matter should be a bit surprised. Cigarette smoke, after all, is basically just a bunch of unhealthy particles in such a high concentration that they are apparent to the unaided human eye. When a smoker exhales that…

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 Time for Plain Talk about Particulate Matter

Might the result of one particle—or a dozen, or a hundred—be negligible in relation to human health? Sure. But put enough particles out there, and things change.

2 billion children breathe toxic air worldwide, UNICEF says

A new report from UNICEF says about a third of the 2 billion children in the world who are breathing toxic air live in northern India and neighboring countries, risking serious health effects including damage to their lungs, brains, and other organs. Of that global total, 300 million kids are exposed to pollution levels more than six times higher than standards set by the World Health Organization, including 220 million in South Asia.

EPA

PM stands for particulate matter (also called particle pollution): the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particles, such as dust, dirt, soot, or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen with the naked eye. Others are so small they can only be detected using an electron microscope.

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