May 27, 2019.
The countless damage caused by fine particles in the air has just been the subject of an alarming study by a team of American researchers.
Fine particles responsible for considerable damage
In the world of fine particles, which pollute the atmosphere, not all are responsible for the same evils. Experts classify them according to their size and, until recently, the main focus was on PM10, that is, those measuring 10 microns. Considered large, they are known for their impact on the lung health of those who live in highly polluted areas.. But they would not necessarily be the most dangerous.
Particles smaller than 2.5 microns have been attracting the attention of health authorities for some time, because their field of action would be much wider, and therefore more dangerous. According to a recent American study, these particles would indeed have the ability to infiltrate all organs of the human body. By traveling thanks to blood, they could be responsible for many cancers and diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, autism or even diabetes..
Diesel cars, the main culprits of this PM2.5 pollution
The authors of this study express their concern, in particular because to date, nothing is really done to stop the production of these particles, a large number of which come from transport, and in particular from new diesel cars. The latter are indeed equipped with particulate filters which capture PM10, but which are not sufficiently filtering to deal with PM2.5.
For these researchers, as for the World Health Organization, there is, however, an urgent need to act. According to the latest figures from the WHO, outdoor air pollution would have killed 4.2 million people in 2016. A figure which should not decrease since currently, 91% of the world population live in an environment in which the benchmarks in terms of air quality of the WHO are not respected.
Gaelle Latour
Read also: Air pollution: the 10 French cities most affected
