Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said in a report that different chemical reactions result in the production of various particulate matters polluting the atmosphere, which means there is a need for tailored policies in regulating the activities that produce them.
The report specifically cited PM2.5, which are small particles that lodge in the human lungs and cause asthma, heart disease and even premature death. The conditions that produce these particles include chemical reactions within water droplets from vehicle emissions, power plants and industrial facilities, and agricultural activities.
According to the report, atmospheric chemicals produced by such activities have gone down over the past decade, but it is unclear whether such has been effective in bringing down the production of PM2.5.
For instance, scientists pointed out that bringing down the sulfur dioxide produced by power plants and industrial facilities could actually increase the production of PM2.5 due to variations in their chemical reactions.
Noelle Selin, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Career Development Associate Professor in MIT’s
Institute for Data, Systems, and Society and the
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS), observed that making policies for particulate pollution is now more difficult because of the unpredictability of atmospheric chemical reactions that produce pollutants.
Thus, she said that understanding the chemistry behind the production of PM2.5 is critical in formulating policies that will effectively bring down its adverse effects on humans.
