I don’t remember learning anything about PM2.5 in medical school. I have since learned a great deal more about it as I have become a lung doctor concerned about air quality. However, someone who I know listening to my podcast regularly one time asked me “Exactly what is PM 2.5?” And I realized I should probably dedicate an episode to it.
Combustion of fuels whether they are tobacco, wood, diesel or more leads to a variety of toxins but also a particularly deadly form of particulate matter – PM 2.5, which is a tiny particle that is small enough to bypass being trapped in our upper airways and actually penetrates deep into our lungs and into our blood stream. It is then carried by our blood throughout the body causing disease in nearly every organ and from womb to tomb. Pregnant women exposed to it have premature deliveries and give birth to children who are smaller for age. Exposure can stunt the growth of a child’s lungs and increases the risk of that kid developing asthma. It can damage the body in honestly every organ to which the blood can carry it- including causing heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, lung disease and decreasing brain function of both adults and kids. Today I interview someone whose career has spanned the characterization of the deadly components of combustion, and how we have come to where we are today.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Dan Costa for the podcast. He received his doctoral degree in toxicology and occupational health from the Harvard School of Public Health. He then worked for the Department of Energy in the Brookhaven National Laboratory conducting research on the impact of fossil fuel related air pollutants on the lung and heart. He served at the Environmental Protection Agency for over 34 years, conducting research on health science to inform critical policy questions. For his last 12 years at the EPA, he was the National Program Director for research on air, climate and energy issues. He has kept active in retirement with ongoing teaching, mentoring and advising about preserving clean air and environmental health.
It was great to talk to someone whose career has spanned the discovery of so much important information about the air we breathe and our health. I think of PM2.5 often when I see asthma in someone who grew up in a house with non-smokers or when I admit someone for a seemingly “random” heart attack that “came out of nowhere.” Did it? Or is the pollution we all breathe every day to blame?
Dose makes the poison, and we increasingly know that even levels of PM2.5 below the theoretically “safe” EPA level of 12 still cause death. The WHO now advises a PM2.5 average level of 5, and our annual level often exceeds that where I live.
TLDR= Don't Light Things on Fire and Breathe them into your Lungs
To Do:
1- Find out about the short and long term PM2.5 levels where you live. Review the American Lung Association’s State of the Air report.
2- Make it a habit to check Airnow.gov to help determine when it is safe for you to exercise.
3- Avoid exercising by busy roads at rush hour- try to commute by bike or walk on less-trafficked paths if you can. Find parks or other “clean air islands” for play and exercise
4- Don’t contribute to PM2.5 if you can help it. Avoid burning things in your home, don’t burn decorative fires, don’t burn garbage or leaves to dispose of them. I guarantee my patients will thank you. 5- Consider a donation to the American Lung Association to support their work for healthy air for everyone.
