Where Does Particulate Matter Come From?

If you’re already aware of the issues with air quality and currently researching solutions for air purification, you’ll have heard about particulate matter. It’s in the air we breathe and makes up the actual substance of what we broadly term ‘pollution’, although it’s typically so microscopically small that the matter itself is hard to perceive. 

In this blog, we’ll take a detailed look at where particulate matter (PM) comes from and why you might want to learn more about the particular particulate threats in your region.

A Brief Definition of Particulate Matter

We use the term ‘particulate matter’ to describe the broad range of microscopic solids or droplets in the air, which range from coarse to fine. 

• Coarse — rated up to PM 10, i.e. up to 10 micrometers. These are often too small to be seen with the naked eye, but big enough to cause respiratory problems or allergic reactions. Examples of coarse particulate matter include dust, pollen, and dander. 
• Ultrafine and Fine — PM2.5, i.e. less than 2.5 micrometers. These are only visible under a microscope and are so small that they can travel deeper into the lungs. Examples include VOCs, bacteria and mold. 

Where Does Particulate Matter Come From?

You’ll also see the term ‘primary particulate matter’, and this describes PM that is produced directly from activities such as construction, wildfires or agriculture. In fact, you can usually see the source too, whether it’s a plume of smoke from a smokestack, wildfire, or haze rising from a construction site. 

The term ‘secondary particulate matter’ describes PM that is produced when gasses or liquids in the air react with light or moisture to form new compounds, such as Nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), or sulfur dioxides. You can’t always see this particulate matter but your airways, eyes and nose will certainly sense it. Although planners will often make an effort to remove the source away from densely populated areas, as is the case with power plants or heavy industry factories, most of it is waiting right outside our window in the form of automobile pollution. 

The top manmade sources of particulate matter

• Agriculture accounts for over 81% of ammonia emissions, and ammonia makes up over half of PM 2.5. 
• Burning fossil fuels in power plants contributes to the main source of sulfur dioxide
• Nitrogen oxide in the air primarily comes from power plants and automobiles
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are mostly produced by waste incineration and industrial processes 
• Although plants are the biggest source of VOCs, both during photosynthesis and composting, coal burning and automobiles pump the most harmful VOCs into the air 

Could we do better? Certainly. Instead of treating the above pollution sources as necessary evils of modern living, we’re increasingly able to apply innovative technology to find alternatives or more efficient solutions. And there’s plenty we can do at home too, which we’ll look at later on.  

Nevertheless, you’re at most risk of particulate matter exposure if you live:

• In a built-up urban area with busy roads (Los Angeles is the most polluted city in the nation)
• In a wildfire region, although the actual source could be hundreds of miles away depending on prevailing winds
• In an area subjected to a high-pressure ‘dome’ of stagnant air. Air that stays in the same place accumulates particulate matter. It’s why the air feels fresher after a thunderstorm or rain shower. 

How Homeowners Create Particulate Matter

We can’t always point an accusing finger at big business, the US military (one of the single largest climate polluters in history), industry or the government. We produce our own particulate matter at home too, whenever we cook, vacuum, smoke, do laundry, or bring pets inside. Particulate matter production is an inevitable feature of 21st-century living, but there are remedies available on both a personal and national scale.  

How We’re Reducing Particulate Matter

Currently, 80% of people around the world live in urban areas with air quality above the World Health Organization’s guidelines. We’re effectively suffocating our own species in many places. But reclaiming clean, breathable air is still within our reach. 

On a societal level

• We’ve progressed from fitting catalytic converters on vehicles to introducing 2035 regulations that ban pollution-emitting vehicles altogether. Some cities have also established car-free zones or Ultra Low Emission Zones. In London, this strategy has reduced PM2.5 by 27%
• We’ve banned smoking in indoor public areas, such as airplanes, bars and restaurants
• Governments have signed up to commitments to reduce air pollution, like the Clean Air Initiative which targets safe air quality by 2030
• Regulators impose stringent restrictions on manufacturing, transport and industrial sectors, among others, to eliminate or dramatically reduce particulate matter emissions or face fines or even prosecution.

On a personal level

Homeowners can reduce particulate matter by installing higher efficiency HVAC and air purification systems, as well as:

• Use a range hood with an extractor fan
• Stop any smoking within the home
• Limit the use of combustion heating (i.e. wood fires)
• Vacuum regularly to prevent dust build-up
• Ventilate areas properly to prevent mold
• Switch to natural cleaning products instead of those containing VOCs
• Move printing and hobbies that use VOCs or PAHs outside to a ventilated workshop

Managing Particulate Matter with Coway

With a Coway HEPA air purifier, you can first gauge the current air conditions with your unit’s particulate matter sensor, alerting you automatically when air quality conditions have dropped. Subsequently, your Coway Airmega’s HyperCaptiveTM filtration system will remove 99.999%1 of particles down to 0.01 microns (smaller than most bacteria). 

It’s the most robust, rigorous air purification system you can install at home to eliminate the full range of particulate matter, and it runs quietly and efficiently. You can’t control where particulate matter comes from, but with Coway you have complete control over what happens to PM once it enters your home. So don’t panic about air quality. Make a plan for peace of mind. 

Sources:

EPA What is Particle Pollution? | US EPA

EPA What is PM? | Air Quality Planning Unit | New England | US EPA