Harmful substances in particulate matter underestimated: Swiss research

The amount of harmful substances in particulate matter is underestimated Keystone-SDA

Measurements significantly underestimate the amount of harmful substances in particulate matter, according to an international research team under Swiss leadership.

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Anyone who breathes polluted air over a period of years has a higher risk of a variety of illnesses. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that over six million deaths a year are caused by increased exposure to particulate matter.

Highly reactive components in particulate matter are suspected, the University of Basel wrote in a press release on the study on Monday.

These so-called oxygen radicals can react in the respiratory tract with biomolecules on and in the cells and thus damage them, which in turn can trigger inflammatory reactions and have an impact on the entire body.

Measurements too slow

According to the study in the journal Science Advances, it is precisely these components that volatilise within minutes or hours. In the case of fine dust measurements, however, the particles are usually several days to weeks old. This is because the fine dust particles are first collected on filters and only analysed later.

For the study, the research team developed a new method to measure particulate matter in a matter of seconds. The particles are collected directly from the air in a liquid. There they come into contact with various chemicals. The oxygen radicals react in this solution and generate quantifiable fluorescence signals.

The measurements with the new method showed that 60 to 99% of the oxygen radicals disappear within minutes or hours.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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