Environmental Health Student Portal
Connecting School Students to Environmental Health Information

Particulate Matter

We’ve all seen dirty bathrooms with black mold growing on surfaces and cars covered in a yellow blanket of pollen in spring. These are visible sources of particulate matter (or PM). PM is made of tiny particles and liquid droplets that include chemicals, metals, dust, and mold spores that float in the air we breathe.

These particles can be found indoors and outdoors. They get into the air by human activities such as burning candles in a restaurant or fossil fuel in a power plant. When we breathe in these particles, they can affect our health. The smaller ones can affect us directly by getting into our lungs and bloodstream. Many of them are triggers for asthma and allergic reactions. Larger particles can irritate our eyes, nose, and throat.

At this Web site, learn about the sources and health effects of PM and ways to reduce particle pollution.

Explore the links at right to:

• Find out what’s hiding in your nose – it could be yucky
• Do experiments with your classmates to collect and examine particles in air
• Make airborne junk detectors
• Watch a video to learn about the respiratory system and how to keep it healthy
• Use an interactive U.S. map to find out the types and levels of pollutants in your state
• Find out how to avoid and reduce your PM exposure
• Learn about the Air Quality Index (AQI) and how to use it
• Watch the Lung Attack! animation to see how pollutants affect our lungs
• Visit Tox Town to find out where you can be exposed to particulate matter
• Discover the causes and effects of haze
• See real-time pollution maps and forecasts