Home›Forums›In Chengdu›Chengdu Air Quality Worse Than Beijing in June›Reply To: Chengdu Air Quality Worse Than Beijing in June
Hi Al the Dead,
Thanks for contributing. Yes, the AQI scores above reflect the amount of PM2.5 particles in the air (particles which are 2.5 micrometers are less). Why do you say the PM2.5 particles in Chengdu are merely dust?
From what I have read, PM2.5 particles are actually considered to be worse for your health than larger PM10 particles, because the smaller (PM2.5) particles are composed of more toxic things and travel more deeply into the lungs.
From AirInfoNow.org:
“Both PM10 (big) and PM2.5 (small) particles can cause health problems; specifically respiratory health (that’s the lungs and the airway). Because the PM2.5 travels deeper into the lungs AND because the PM2.5 is made up of things that are more toxic (like heavy metals and cancer causing organic compounds), PM2.5 can have worse health effects than the bigger PM10.”
I agree that it would be nice to see specifics about what the PM2.5 particles (and PM10 particles) are comprised of, but both PM2.5 and PM10 are often used internationally for measuring air pollution, so I wouldn’t call the measurements worthless.