Particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air. Some particulates are visible such as dust, dirt, soot or smoke. Other particulates can only be seen through an electron microscope. For example, a human hair is about 70 microns in diameter, particulate matter can be 2.5 microns and smaller. These particulates come from construction sites, smoke stacks in various industries, fires, complex chemical reactions from various industries, combustion and pollen just to name a few.
You can easily monitor the levels of particulate matter, visit AirNow.com or if you have a weather app on a mobile phone, there’s typically an air quality index rating which shows the pollution levels. Additionally, there may be a section that pertains to health, and it may read, “If a person as a respiratory issue remain indoors”.
Understanding the particulate matter in the air will provide some control over your health. Breathing clean air is paramount, the key is to keep particulates out of your lungs. Monitoring the Air Quality Index of your location gives you the information to make decisions about your health. The air quality changes regularly depending upon environmental conditions such as wind. As previously noted, the Air Quality Index will provide some general health information and recommendations. For example, an Air Quality Index rating of “51-Moderate”, the air may pose a moderate health risk for people who are sensitive to particulate pollution. With that information, you can make an informed decision to refrain from exercising or exerting while outdoors, or stay indoors.
Should you decide to stay indoors, it’s important to keep the windows and doors closed, this will help keep out some of the particulate matter. If there’s a ventilation system that pulls outside air into your inside environment, such as air conditioning, then it’s important the ventilation system filters the air, preferably with a hepa filter, a high efficiency particulate air filter. The proper hepa filter can remove at least 99.97% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particulates with the size of 0.3 microns or greater. It’s important when shopping for an air filtration unit, that it is a hepa filter and follow the manufacturers guidelines for cleaning and maintenance. Here’s an example: https://amzn.to/3TxfThi