PM2.5 is a particulate air pollutant that poses a major health concern to humans. They are tiny pollutants measuring 2.5 microns and below. PM2.5 can enter deep into the lungs and the blood stream. Prolonged exposure to PM2.5 can cause health effects like respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Learn more about PM2.5, the best way to protect yourself from PM2.5 and other trends here.
I wear a pollution mask in Beijing, and I’ve always taken it off when I get into the subway. That’s because I’ve always assumed air in the subway is better than outside. But am I right to take it off? I’ve heard a lot of Beijingers debating whether air in …
Beijing said they would cut air pollution in a plan announced earlier this year (and a few months before and another one back in 2013). But what does the data say? To get to the bottom of it, I analyzed monthly PM2.5 data for 2017 so far and compared it …
There’s good data showing that masks (including surgical masks) really can stop pollution and even have demonstrated physiological benefits. Masks work. But one place data is lacking is for air pollution mask lifespan. Just how long do air pollution masks really last? Really Just One Day? I frequently …
Delhi’s air pollution has raised a lot of concern over the last few years. Awareness peaks in the winter and then wane for the rest of the year. How well does this general awareness fit with the air quality data? Smart Air analyzed PM2.5 data from the pollution monitor at …
A user on Quora asked recently how bad the air pollution in Nepal is. Nepal has glorious mountains and shining temples. But how is the air? I checked the World Health Organization’s global PM2.5 database. According to that database, Kathmandu’s PM2.5 particulate pollution averaged 49 micrograms/m3 in 2013: …
It’s nerd Christmas! The US Embassy’s 2016 PM2.5 data just came out. And there’s a surprise in the data from Beijing and the US Consulate in Chengdu: Chengdu just barely edged out Beijing for highest PM2.5. I had to go out to two decimal places to find that difference. How …
Map of today’s pollution levels across China – 9th September 2016. Source：http://aqicn.org What a glorious day in Beijing! Right now, the US Embassy in Beijing is giving a PM2.5 value of 0. Is summer normally this good? And what’s the pollution like in other parts of China right now? (Short answer: …
In 2008, the Chittranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI) in Kolkata published the results from a study examining the health of lung function among school children, aged 4-17, in Delhi. To test whether children in Delhi fared worse than those outside of the city, the study compared 11,628 children from different parts …
Much too visible, according to Astronaut Scott Kelly, who is finishing up his year onboard the International Space Station. On January 12th, Kelly posted the following picture, which shows northern Uttar Pradesh on the left, and the Himalayas and Nepal on the right. In December 2014, NASA released a similar picture highlighting …
Air purifiers and air pollution are probably the last things that come to mind when thinking of Mongolia. But maybe it should be the first, given how bad the air there is. I was living in Beijing during the airpocalypse, so I decided to buy an air purifier. Then I discovered …
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