New Long-Term Study: Particulate Matter Makes People Age Faster
Permanently breathing poor air carries significant health risks that vary by income and gender, according to the central finding of a new study from Imperial College London.
For the London long-term study, whose results have now been published in the European Respiratory Journal, scientists analyzed the health data of more than 300,000 people aged between 40 and 69. The alarming result of the London long-term study: five micrograms (equivalent to five millionths of a gram) more particulate matter (particle size PM2.5) per m³ of air annually corresponds, on average, to two years of natural lung aging. Or put more simply: the worse indoor and ambient air are, the faster people's lungs age – and the COPD risk rises.
Alarming findings
Particularly striking: the decline in lung function at identical particulate matter exposure correlates with the participants' income – those who earn less have a threefold higher risk of developing COPD than someone with a higher income. According to researchers led by Anna Hansell, this can mainly be explained by more frequent childhood respiratory infections, worse living conditions, worse nutrition, higher particulate matter exposure in the workplace, and the corresponding indoor air quality.
With COPD, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the airways are narrowed, which initially leads to daily coughing, especially in the morning, or shortness of breath when climbing stairs.
This shows how important it is to raise awareness about indoor air. That's why the air-Q was developed, which can measure and capture even the smallest particulate matter particles in room air, down to a size of less than 1 µm. Because as a general rule: the smaller the particles, the more dangerous they are for humans, because they can penetrate deeper into the airways and even into the bloodstream.
Current limit values for particulate matter
Environmental organizations have been calling for years to lower EU limit values for particulate matter particles smaller than PM2.5 (<2.5 µm). The annual average recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 10 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air. The limit for maximum daily particulate matter exposure currently stands at 25 micrograms (for particles <2.5 µm) and will be reduced to 20 micrograms in the EU starting January 1, 2020. Germany has committed, under the so-called Gothenburg Protocol of 2012 as well as the NEC Directive, to far-reaching emissions reductions by 2030. By 2020, a 26 percent reduction in PM2.5 emissions compared to 2005 is to be achieved – and even 43 percent by 2030.
The air-Q air analyzer measures particulate matter particles in three sizes, PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10, and warns when limit values are exceeded, both directly on the device and via the air-Q app for Android and iOS smartphones. Through continuous data collection, the air-Q measuring device is able to analyze whether particulate matter sources are located inside or outside the room. Such particles are often let into rooms through poorly timed ventilation – or, in an office environment, released by certain electrical devices such as laser printers.