(Phys.org)—When Ovadia Lev, Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Health at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and his research team developed a new coating technology a few years ago, they thought it was an interesting ...
Extending California's stringent diesel emissions standards to the rest of the U.S. could dramatically improve the nation's air quality and health, particularly in lower income communities of color, finds a new analysis published ...
Environment
Mar 25, 2021
4
750
The air we breathe contains particulate matter from a range of natural and human-related sources. Particulate matter is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in the United States each year, but legislation from the ...
Environment
Dec 25, 2017
20
833
(Phys.org) —A combined team of researchers from the U.S. and China has found a direct link between gaseous pollutants from motorized vehicles and industrial emissions and the thick haze that often covers the Chinese capital. ...
(Phys.org) —A team of climate experts from Britain's national weather service (The Met Office) has given a series of presentations at the Science Media Centre in London with the aim of trying to explain why global warming ...
High in the sky, water in clouds can act as a temptress to lure airborne pollutants such as sulfur dioxide into reactive aqueous particulates. Although this behavior is not incorporated into today's climate-modeling scenarios, ...
Materials Science
May 9, 2011
2
0
As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.
Earth Sciences
24 minutes ago
0
0
As anyone with seasonal allergies knows, unseen airborne particles can really wreck a person's day. Like the tree pollen that might be plaguing you this spring, small concentrations of trace elements in the air can have significant ...
Environment
Apr 17, 2024
0
44
Researchers using a novel method of measuring long-term wildfire smoke exposure have found that Indigenous communities in California are exposed to disproportionate amounts of dangerous particulate matter—sometimes far ...
Environment
Feb 29, 2024
2
45
Wildfires can transform a benign metal in soils and plants into toxic particles that easily become airborne, according to a new study from Stanford University.
Earth Sciences
Dec 12, 2023
0
41
Particulates – also known as particulate matter (PM), suspended particulate matter (SPM), fine particles, and soot – are tiny subdivisions of solid matter suspended in a gas or liquid. In contrast, aerosol refers to particles and/or liquid droplets and the gas together. Sources of particulate matter can be man made or natural. Air pollution and water pollution can take the form of solid particulate matter, or be dissolved. Salt is an example of a dissolved contaminant in water, while sand is generally a solid particulate.
To improve water quality, solid particulates can be removed by water filters or settling, and is referred to as insoluble particulate matter. Dissolved contaminants in water are often collected by distilling, allowing the water to evaporate and the contaminants to return to particle form and precipitate.
Some particulates occur naturally, originating from volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation, and sea spray. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and various industrial processes also generate significant amounts of particulates. Coal combustion in developing countries is the primary method for heating homes and supplying energy. Averaged over the globe, anthropogenic aerosols—those made by human activities—currently account for about 10 percent of the total amount of aerosols in our atmosphere. Increased levels of fine particles in the air are linked to health hazards such as heart disease, altered lung function and lung cancer.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
