Particulate pollution in urban areas

Question 1

What are particulates?

Answer 1

Tiny pieces of solids and tiny droplets of liquids floating in the wair

Question 2

Give a fact which shows more particulates are found in urban than in rural areas

Answer 2

The concentration of particulates is urban areas is 10-40 µg/m³, compared to less than 10 µg/m³ in rural areas

Question 3

How are vehicle exhausts a source of particulates?

Answer 3

They produce very fine particulates (0.01 µm-1.0 µm). About 80% of fine particulates in urban areas are from vehicle exhausts

Question 4

How is the burning of refuse, cigarettes and fuel a source of particulates?

Answer 4

The burning produces both fine and coarse particulates, e.g. sulphates, nitrates, soot and ash

Question 5

How is construction, mining and quarrying a source of particulates?

Answer 5

These activities produce coarse particulates (10µm-100 µm), e.g. tiny fragments of rock, brick and cement dust

Question 6

How are plants and moulds a source of particulates?

Answer 6

They generate coarse particulates, e.g. pollen and mould spores

Question 7

How can particulates cause health problems?

Answer 7

Finer particulates less thantµm in diameter (called PM10) can enter the lungs. This cause or make problems worse such as asthma, lung cancer and heart diesease