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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Donna Lu

Air pollution: how bad is particulate matter for your health?

Commuters in Melbourne, Australia
Commuters in Melbourne, Australia. The WHO estimates that in 2019, outdoor air pollution, including particulate matter, caused 4.2m premature deaths worldwide. Photograph: Erik Anderson/AAP

Many types of air pollutants are harmful to human health. These include gases – such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulphur dioxide – and particulates.

Particulate matter refers to microscopic solid or liquid particles that are suspended in the air. These can be human-made, such as from traffic emissions and the burning of fossil fuels, or natural, such as from sea spray or mineral dust from soils.

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