One of the fundamental rights of all human beings is to breathe good air quality. Doesn’t it feel irritating when you know the environment you are in is quite filthy and full of dust and other particulate matter? Sometimes, you’ll feel it in your chest. You’ll have difficulty breathing, cough, and colds. You’ll often sneeze. All of these mentioned risks are caused by poor air quality. Air pollution is rampant nowadays. More health and environmental risks are prone to occur if air pollution gets worse.
The most effective way to eliminate or lessen air pollution is to avoid harmful particles that affect air quality. Another way to produce better air quality is to conduct dust monitoring; thus, the number of dust particles in a workplace, community, city, or any environment is determined in a given period.
What is particulate matter?
Particulate matter is the general term for the particles present in the air, including dirt, dust, smoke, soot, liquid droplets, etc. The sizes of particulate matter vary. Large concentrations are often produced by vehicles and power plants. The particles are also categorized into two: PM10 and PM2.5. PM10 are those particles whose diameters are less than 10 micrometres. If this type of particulate matter is inhaled, it can negatively affect an individual’s respiratory health. PM2.5 are those particles that are less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter. They are also called “fine” particles because of their microscopic size. You can compare their size to the average width of human hair. That’s how small the size is, making it easier to penetrate the body and lungs. Thus, PM2.5 poses the greatest risk to human health.
Health effects of polluted air
Short-term exposure to polluted air usually targets the respiratory system. As mentioned, particulate matter can enter through an individual’s airways. The lungs might malfunction, which can cause difficulty breathing. People with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, would suffer the most. If you are exposed to certain gases in the air, such as sulphur dioxide, you’ll eventually notice that your eyes and skin are also affected and irritated.
Moreover, if you have been inhaling polluted air for a long time already, then you’re prone to more serious and more hazardous effects. Some diseases you’re likely to develop due to air pollution’s long-term effects are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and premature birth delivery. COPD is a general and collective term for diseases related to the respiratory tract, such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Their common ground is blocking the airways, which causes difficulty breathing.
What can you do?
If you want to ensure that you breathe a good quality of air, dust monitoring is important. It is often done in the workplace to maintain air quality management and for mandatory compliance. Dust monitoring devices are used to ensure that you can monitor and see the amount of dust and dirt present in the environment. This way, you’ll be able to create a concrete management plan on how you can control and eliminate air pollution.
The smaller the particulate matter’s size, the more difficult it is to see and the more dangerous it is. Hence, it is crucial to monitor the dust and other particles present in the air using the appropriate equipment and devices to ensure that all the individuals working in an area inhale good air quality and eliminate the risks of getting health complications.