Particle Pollution | Air - CDC

Particle pollution — also called particulate matter (PM) — is made up of particles (tiny pieces) of solids or liquids that are in the air. These particles may ... Skipdirectlytositecontent Skipdirectlytopageoptions SkipdirectlytoA-Zlink AirQuality SectionNavigation CDCHome Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate ParticlePollution Minus RelatedPages Particlepollution—alsocalledparticulatematter(PM)—ismadeupofparticles(tinypieces)ofsolidsorliquidsthatareintheair.Theseparticlesmayinclude: Dust Dirt Soot Smoke Dropsofliquid Someparticlesarebigenough(orappeardarkenough)tosee—forexample,youcanoftenseesmokeintheair.Othersaresosmallthatyoucan’tseethemintheair. Wheredoesparticlepollutioncomefrom? Particlepollutioncancomefromtwodifferentkindsofsources—primaryorsecondary.Primarysourcescauseparticlepollutionontheirown.Forexample,woodstovesandforestfiresareprimarysources. Secondarysourcesletoffgasesthatcanformparticles.Powerplantsandcoalfiresareexamplesofsecondarysources.Someothercommonsourcesofparticlepollutioncanbeeitherprimaryorsecondary—forexample,factories,carsandtrucks,andconstructionsites. Smokefromfiresandemissions(releases)frompowerplants,industrialfacilities,andcarsandtruckscontainPM2.5. ParticlePollutionandYourHealth Breathinginparticlepollutioncanbeharmfultoyourhealth.Coarse(bigger)particles,calledPM10,canirritateyoureyes,nose,andthroat.Dustfromroads,farms,dryriverbeds,constructionsites,andminesaretypesofPM10. Fine(smaller)particles,calledPM2.5,aremoredangerousbecausetheycangetintothedeeppartsofyourlungs—orevenintoyourblood. Howcanparticlepollutionaffectmyhealth? Particlepollutioncanaffectanyone,butitbotherssomepeoplemorethanothers.Peoplemostlikelytoexperiencehealtheffectscausedbyparticlepollutioninclude: Peoplewithheartorlungdiseases(forexample,asthma) Olderadults Babiesandchildren ReadmoreaboutthehealthimpactsofPM. Ifyouhaveasthma,particlepollutioncanmakeyoursymptomsworse.Carefullyfollowyourasthmamanagementplanondayswhenpollutionlevelsarehigh. Particlepollutionhasalsobeenlinkedto: Eyeirritation Lungandthroatirritation Troublebreathing Lungcancer Problemswithbabiesatbirth(forexample,lowbirthweight) HeartDisease Ifyouhaveheartdisease,breathinginparticlepollutioncancauseseriousproblemslikeaheartattack.Symptomsinclude: Chestpainortightness Fastheartbeat Feelingoutofbreath Beingmoretiredthanusual Ifyouhaveanyofthesesigns,contactyourdoctor.Besuretoletyourdoctorknowifthesymptomsgetworseorlastlongerthanusual. ProtectYourselfandYourFamily Thegoodnewsisthere’salotyoucandotoprotectyourselfandyourfamilyfromthehealtheffectscausedbyparticlepollution.StartbylearningabouttheAirQualityIndexfromtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA). AirQualityIndex(AQI) TheEPAAirQualityIndexexternalicon(AQI)tellsyouwhenairpollutionislikelytoreachlevelsthatcouldbeharmful.YoucanusetheAQIasatooltohelpyouavoidparticlepollution.LocalTVstations,radioprograms,andnewspapersreporttheAQI.Trycheckingitwhenyou’replanningyourdailyactivities. TakeAction Whenparticlepollutionlevelsarehigh,takestepstolimittheamountofairyoubreatheinwhileyou’reoutside.Forexample: Thinkaboutspendingmoretimeindoors,whereparticlepollutionlevelsareusuallylower. Chooseeasieroutdooractivities(likewalkinginsteadofrunning)soyoudon’tbreatheashard. AvoidbusyroadsandhighwayswherePMisusuallyworsebecauseofemissionsfromcarsandtrucks. Formoretoolstohelpyoulearnaboutairquality,visitTrackingAirQuality.  TopofPage Pagelastreviewed:September4,2019 Contentsource: NationalCenterforEnvironmentalHealth homeAirQualityAirPollutantsWildfireSmokeplusiconGuidanceforHealthProfessionalsPeoplewithChronicConditionsPrecautionsforPregnantWomenProtectingChildrenfromWildfireSmokeBeforeaWildfireSmokeEventDuringaWildfireSmokeEventAfteraWildfireSmokeEventPublicHealthIssuesInfographicsplusiconAirQualityFlagProgramAirQualityandPhysicalActivityWho'sMostAffectedbyPoorAirQuality?ProtectYourselfDuringPhysicalActivityInformationaboutAirQualityWhereYouLiveOzoneandYourHealthParticlePollutionAirQualityResourcesforProfessionalsVolcanoesandAirQualityFEMATrailerStudyplusiconCommunityInvolvement Facebook Twitter LinkedIn SAS stats ExitNotification/DisclaimerPolicy Close LinkswiththisiconindicatethatyouareleavingtheCDCwebsite. TheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention(CDC)cannotattesttotheaccuracyofanon-federalwebsite. Linkingtoanon-federalwebsitedoesnotconstituteanendorsementbyCDCoranyofitsemployeesofthesponsorsortheinformationandproductspresentedonthewebsite. Youwillbesubjecttothedestinationwebsite'sprivacypolicywhenyoufollowthelink. CDCisnotresponsibleforSection508compliance(accessibility)onotherfederalorprivatewebsite. FormoreinformationonCDC'swebnotificationpolicies,seeWebsiteDisclaimers. Cancel Continue