Some air pollution 'is just as dangerous in the country as it is in city centres'
Author: Rob Waugh
Air pollution may be just as dangerous in rural areas as it is in city centers, a new study has warned. PM2.5 - tiny particles 2.5 microns or less in width - poses a health risk because it can become embedded in lung tissue when inhaled, the researchers warn. The researchers collected PM2.5 samples weekly in the summer and autumn of 2018 and in the winter and spring of 2019. They chose three urban localities: Chicago, Indianapolis, and St. Louis; a rural location in Bondville, Illinois; and a roadside location adjacent to an interstate highway in Champaign, Illinois. The team found that all locations shared similar levels of oxidative potential - but the results suggested that some of the lighter particles that make up PM2.5 contribute more to tissue damage than others, the study reports.