A close look at particles
growing air pollution is posing a serious threat to human, plant and animal life. Suspended particulate matter emitted from mobile and stationary combustion sources, mining and a whole lot of other activities have biological and health effects. There is no doubt that some particles are indeed hazardous. However, the degree of hazard associated with specific types of particles and the precise mechanisms by which exposure to particulate pollution leads to ill health are yet to be fully understood and is at present the subject of intense research.
This book has a number of contributors drawing attention to large scale epidemiological studies of recent origin, which suggest that there may be a relationship between pm 10 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 microns or