Written By: Satata Karmakar | Published : May 13, 2025 10:57 AM IST
Medically Verified By: Dr Mihir Gangakhedkar, Consultant-Pulmonology, Fortis Hospital, Mulund.
Breathing Poison? How Inhaling Polluted Air Filled With PM2.5 And PM10 Can Severely Damage Lungs And Heart - Explained
Health Dangers of Air Pollution: Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 stand are tiny particles suspended in the air with sizes smaller than 2.5 microns and 10 microns, respectively. It is a heterogeneous group of particles which are released into the air as a consequence of various natural and human activities, like the burning of fossil fuels, for example. They have been identified as crucial pollutants with significant health-related impact because of their size. Both sizes can be released in industrial smoke, fossil fuel use, construction site dust, demolition activities, biomass fuel burning and even natural phenomena like wildfires or thunderstorms.
While PM10 can be inhaled, being larger they tend to deposit in the proximal or larger airways of human beings. Given the smaller size, PM2.5 can travel further down the air passages and cause an impact at deeper levels.PM2.5 has been incriminated as a possible causative agent for the development of obstructive airway diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Exposure to such particulate matter at a young age can permanently alter the growth trajectory of lungs in such children, leading to chronic respiratory diseases as they grow up.
Chronic exposure to PM2.5 has also been postulated as the cause for Lung Cancer and is often compared to the risk of inhaled tobacco smoke in variable quantities. Both PM2.5 and PM10 have the ability to worsen the respiratory status of patients with breathing disorders like Asthma, Chronic Bronchitis or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). With the advent of pandemic-era diseases, the overall lung health being suboptimal, exposure to these particles can further worsen the capacities of affected individuals.
Children and young adults whose lungs are still growing are the most vulnerable to the long-term effects of chronic exposure to such products in polluted cities with poor air quality. Additionally, the lungs of elderly individuals and those with existing lung diseases like Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Interstitial Lung Disease, Bronchiectasis and post-COVID-19 lung disease are all at risk of worsening lung health with such exposure.
Prevention is best source with better industrial processes, cleaner energy sources and responsible waste management. Beyond source control, appropriate personal protective equipment usage by those exposed in the line of work and those with underlying lung disorders while crossing sites with such aerosolisation, is a useful strategy.
Early diagnosis of lung disorders when frequent respiratory events occur can help you start controlling your lung health better and prevent further worsening using appropriate medications. An appropriate diagnostic strategy by a clinician may even help diagnose cancer early on when there is limited spread and make it more amenable to therapy. So, to prevent the generation of particulate matter, promote exposure prevention behavior, avail early diagnostic facilities, keep your existing disorders in check and consult a doctor for treatment when affected.
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