How does particulate matter adversely affect human health and the environment?
Many scientific studies have linked breathing PM to a series of significant health problems, including: aggravated asthma increases in respiratory symptoms like coughing and difficult or painful breathing chronic bronchitis decreased lung function premature death. Particulate matter can also cause visual impairment and is a major cause of reduced visibility or A haze that is a common problem in many of our national parks and urban areas. PM can cause deposition of heavy metals and other environmental solids that contaminate soil and water across large distances. This long range deposition can, making lakes and streams acidic changing the nutrient balance in coastal waters and large river basins depleting the nutrients in soil damaging sensitive forests and farm crops affecting the diversity of ecosystems.
