Particle Size and Respiratory Disease

There are studies being done about the relationship between particle pollution and the size of particles and if this is directly related to health problems.  According to the site http://www.epa.gov/pm/health.html , the smaller the particle size the more dangerous.  Why is this you may ask?  Many people may think larger particles are more dangerous but that's not the case.  Smaller particles are more dangerous because they can get into the lungs and if small enough, into the bloodstream which is not good for your health.  Particles smaller than ten micrometers in diameter are the most deadly.  Also from this same site there were listed health effects that result from particle pollution.  Some of these health effects include aggravated asthma, irregular heart beats, nonfatal heart attacks, and more.  The reason for these health problems is from the particles in the particulate matter.  Particulate matter, according to the site http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/how_do.html , are solids and/or liquids that are distributed in a gas.  The fact that they are in a gas makes them very dangerous to peoples health, and this particulate matter can be very common in the workplace and may expose workers to dangerous particulates for hours at a time.  This obviously isn't good for someone's health, so the EPA is required to set air quality standards to keep these particulates and particulate matter at a minimum.  Sometimes particulate matter can be visible, which is when there is a haze somewhere present, and these particles can be spread through the air and contaminate the food and water we eat and drink, so these particulates can do a lot more damage than one might think.  These health effects don't necessarily happen from visible particulate matter, the fact that it can spread and travel into water and onto vegetation can also cause health problems.  I hope this blog was helpful in talking about the health effects that can be caused due to particulate matter.