We mentioned in last week’s post that PM2.5 is a particularly dangerous type of pollution due to its small size. PM2.5 refers to particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers (µm) in diameter, small and light enough that particles remain airborne for an extended period of time. When inhaled, these particles can get trapped in our heart and lungs leading to negative health impacts for both short- and long-term exposure.
2.5 micrometers likely sounds pretty tiny, but humans are notoriously bad at sensing the scale of very large or small numbers. So how big is PM2.5, really?
Swipe through to zoom in and take a look!
Comments