Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Particulate MatterParticulate matter is a mixture of very fine solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, such as sulfates, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust, and water.6 It is classified according to its diameter:• Coarse particles: 10-2.5 µm.• Fine particles: 2.5-0.1 µm.• Ultrafine particles: <0.1 µm (100 nm).Particulate matter 2.5 and PM10 refer to particles that are <2.5 microns and 10 microns in diameter, respectively.A PM2.5 particle is 30 times thinner than a human hair and easily penetrates the respiratory system via inhalation, causing or worsening respiratory disease such as asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system (CNS) and reproductive dysfunction, and cancer.PM can originate from both indoor and outdoor sources.Indoor sources include soil or dust particles, smoke from cooking to cigarette smoking, while in public enclosed spaces such as metro trains and buses, PM may comprise metals such as iron, copper, manganese, and chromium, and even viruses.Outdoor sources include smoke from vehicles, coal power plants, IntroductIonPollution is the process of substances harmful to humans and other living organisms being introduced into the environment.1 Air pollution refers to the complex mixture of solid particles, microscopic droplets, and chemical gases present in the ambient air.2,3 It is now the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide, surpassing chronic diseases such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and malnutrition, accounting for 7 million premature deaths per year.Thus, it is aptly named the silent killer.According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of pollution a person is exposed to is a product of the concentration of air pollutants in the surrounding atmosphere, duration of time exposed to it, and ventilation rate per minute.In India, air pollution is estimated to have contributed to 16,70,000 deaths in 2019, or about 17.8% of national mortality, according to the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) study.4 This includes 0.98 million deaths from ambient air pollution (AAP) and 0.6 million deaths from household air pollution (HAP).HAP is especially harmful to children, the elderly, and those with chronic health conditions.Low-and middle-income countries like India are especially vulnerable to its adverse effects.There are >70,000 scientific papers examining the impact of air pollution on health, in addition to widespread publicity through media.
Source: Journal of Acute Care
Author: Praveen Khilnani
Institutions: Medanta The Medicity, Medanta The Medicity
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4413384180