Coarse particles in the air, too, are bad for your health

(I-Newswire) July 30, 2005 - It was thought that the smallest particles, those smaller than 2.5 micrometer, are the main culprits. These particles get deep into the lung, and may enter the blood stream to reach the heart.

There is indeed much evidence to support that small particles are bad for you, and the EU is moving toward setting a standard for small particles, also known as PM2.5.

Does this mean that coarse particles, those larger than 2.5 micrometer, are harmless?

Surely, coarse particles have different sources, and a very different chemical composition compared to small particles. In some places, coarse particles are primarily from soil, in others, it could be resuspended road dust.

Until recently, few investigators studied their effects apart, and independent from small particles. A number of studies however have now addressed this problem, and in this issue Bert Brunekreef and Bertil Forsberg (respectively from Utrecht University, the Netherlands, and Umea University, Sweden) publish a review of the latest evidence.

It shows two things. First, there is as yet little evidence to support that coarse particles lead to increased deaths on high pollution days, or in high pollution areas. Second, however, there is clear evidence that coarse particles lead to increased hospital admissions for respiratory diseases. Also, toxicological experiments show that coarse particles are far from harmless.

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency is considering to establish a separate standard for coarse particles in the air. The data from Europe are as yet considered too thin by the EU to follow suit.

There is a clear need for further studies of the independent effects of coarse airborne particles on health.

The European Respiratory Journal is the peer-reviewed scientific publication of the European Respiratory Society (more than 7,000 specialists in lung diseases and respiratory medicine in Europe, the United States and Australia).

European Respiratory Journal
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http://erj.ersjournals.com

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