This article, written by Siriel Saladin for AirGradient, provides a provocative and informative overview of facts and assumptions that we make about a key aspect of air quality: PM 2.5.
‘We all know the number: 4.2 million premature deaths in 2019 from outdoor air pollution, according to the World Health Organisation. What we also hear is that there is no safe level of PM₂.₅.
But how do we know this? And how much does the answer depend on where, when, and from what source that pollution came? Most of what we know about PM₂.₅ and health was built on evidence from a combustion-dominated world with coal fires, industrial smoke, and extreme pollution episodes. The question this article explores is how well that framework generalizes and whether conclusions drawn from high-pollution, combustion-dominated environments can be applied to places where those conditions aren’t present. Another way to frame this question is: How confident are we that even very low concentrations cause relevant health damage?
Today’s article explores how scientists study the health effects of PM₂.₅. We look beyond the numbers and…’
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You can also access related Building Biology Fact Sheets: Indoor Air Quality For You, Ventilation, and Reducing Toxic Combustion By-products.