Airborne particles, such as fog, dust, and smoke, can cause health problems and affect the Earth’s climate. They vary in size and can be natural or man-made. Airborne particle counters can measure their content, and particles less than 2.5 microns may be particularly harmful to humans.
Airborne particles are very fine particles made up of solid or liquid matter that can remain suspended in the air and spread with the wind. Common examples of such particles are: fog, which is made up of tiny droplets of water; dust, which is made up of very fine particles of solid matter; and smoke, which is composed of both solid and liquid matter. The sizes of airborne particles vary greatly and are often measured in microns, meaning they are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye. Sources of airborne particles can be natural, such as dust and smoke created by volcanic eruptions and forest fires, or man-made, such as soot from coal burning in a power plant or residual oil particles in exhaust gases of vehicles. Scientific studies show that this particle pollution can cause health problems in humans and affect the Earth’s climate.
A common measurement used for an airborne particle is the micron, also called a micrometre. A micron is one millionth of a meter (39.37 inches). Dust particles suspended in the air are often at least 1 micron in diameter. The particles that make up the fumes can be as small as 0.1 micrometres, while the water droplets in the fog can range from 2-50 micrometres in size. Very small airborne particles can remain suspended in the air for years and spread over large distances, while large particles usually settle on the ground after a short time.
Naturally formed airborne particles make up about 90% of the airborne particles in the Earth’s atmosphere, and this includes ocean salt from sea spray and dust made up of mineral particles from the Earth’s crust. Man-made particles can come from traffic, factory emissions, the burning of fossil fuels such as oil, and many other sources. These man-made particles vary in composition. Some examples are carbon particles in diesel engine exhaust, metal particles from foundries and sulfur dioxide released from burning coal. At high concentrations, airborne particles of sulfur dioxide can contribute to the cooling of the earth’s climate.
Airborne particle counters can be used to measure the particle content of indoor and outdoor air. Such instruments commonly detect particles with a diameter of 0.2-25 microns. Scientists believe that airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter may be particularly harmful to humans. The small size of the particles means they can penetrate deep into lung tissue or even the bloodstream, causing serious lung and heart disease.
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