Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) is a key indicator of air pollution and a significant risk factor for adverse health outcomes in humans. PM is not a self-contained pollutant but a mixture of different compounds including chemical and biological fractions. While several reviews have focused on the chemical components of PM and associated health effects, there is a dearth of review studies that holistically examine the role of biological and chemical components of inhalable and respirable PM in disease causation. A literature search using various search engines and (or) keywords was done. Articles selected for review were chosen following predefined criteria, to extract and analyze data. The results show that the biological and chemical components of inhalable and respirable PM play a significant role in the burden of health effects attributed to PM. These health outcomes include low birth weight, emergency room visit, hospital admission, respiratory and pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, non-communicable diseases, and premature death, among others. This review justifies the importance of each or synergistic effects of the biological and chemical constituents of PM on health. It also provides information that informs policy on the establishment of exposure limits for PM composition metrics rather than the existing exposure limits of the total mass of PM. This will allow for more effective management strategies for improving outdoor air quality.
Highlights
Clean air is a requirement for life and healthy living, a fundamental human right
Reduced functioning of the lungs, occurrence of asthma and other pulmonary diseases were reported among children and adults who were exposed to an elevated concentration of endotoxins [48,53,54,55,56,57,58]
Findings from studies reviewed in this paper made it clear that though the particulate matter is a complex heterogeneous mix of remarkably small particles and gases that are capable of inducing adverse health effects in humans
Summary
Clean air is a requirement for life and healthy living, a fundamental human right. An adult requires between 10,000 and 20,000 liters of air per day for survival [1]. Staying and remaining healthy requires constant breathing in of clean and safe air. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that an estimated 1.3 million deaths are ascribed to urban outdoor air pollution annually [2]. The reason being that the air we breathe often contains particulate matter (PM) of varied sizes and compositions. PM is introduced into the atmosphere during air pollution process, and its presence in the atmosphere may be injurious to humans, living organisms, and the natural environment [3,4]. PM according to the WHO, affects more people than any other pollutant [2]
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