Even on ‘clear’ days, the air can still be chemically toxic

• Air quality is traditionally assessed by PM2.5 levels, but this may not fully capture toxicity levels.

• Research from East China Normal University indicates that even “clean” air with safe PM2.5 levels can hold toxic particles harmful to lungs.

• The study, published in Environmental Health, analyzed PM2.5 in Shanghai during winter and spring 2025 using advanced spectral techniques.

• Metal-containing fine particles (MCFPs), which include metals like aluminium, silicon, iron, manganese, and lead, constituted about 80% of the metal particles in the air.

• MCFPs were found to be more toxic on days with low PM2.5 concentrations compared to polluted days, with oxidative stress in lung cells being up to 8.1 times higher.

• Iron-rich MCFPs, often from human activities such as vehicle emissions and coal burning, were identified as major contributors to cellular damage.

• Cleaner days tended to have a higher proportion of toxic particles, while dust and haze masked their presence.

• The research suggests PM2.5 mass isn’t a reliable air safety indicator and recommends focus on specific toxic components in air pollution monitoring.

Chemical Air Contamination is important topic for Civil service exam (WBCS).

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