What is Particulate Matter - Composition & Science?
PM (for short) of different size fractions consists of dust, metals, and smoke, with sources ranging from domestic, transport, industrial, road dust, to garbage burning. These particles when breathed in, lodge in our lung tissues and cause lung damage and respiratory problems, and may lead to premature mortality in certain cases. The importance of PM as a major pollutant needs special emphasis as
- it affects outdoor and indoor environments and in urban and rural settings
- it is the most studied pollutant
- there is more epidemiological evidence on the PM exposure linking to mortality (premature deaths) and morbidity (like asthma and bronchitis)
- more evidence is linking it to climate radiative forcing (via black carbon)
- it is the most monitored pollutant, though data is limited from the developing country cities.
Download SIM Working Paper Series No. 10
Other working papers in the series of particulate pollution source apportionment covering the topics of "what is source apportionment", "how to perform source apportionment", and "sample results from applications of source apportionment studies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America" are presented in
SIM 10-2008: What is Particulate Matter: Composition & Science
SIM 16-2009: Urban Particulate Pollution Source Apportionment (Part 1) Methodology & Resources
SIM 17-2009: Ten Frequently Asked Questions About Particulate Matter
SIM-23-2009: Urban Particulate Pollution Source Apportionment (Part 2): Applications & Policy Implications
