What is Air Pollution…
Air pollution can be outdoor or indoor. Outdoor air pollution is caused by traffic, energy production, industrial emissions, and wildfires. It is an environmental toxin which is made up of gases like nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter (PM) like soot, dust, ash, and pollen, and chemicals called organic volatile compounds that when exposed to extreme sunlight create ground-level ozone. Indoor air pollution is commonly caused by dust, pet dander, mold, and radon. The particles cause some of the biggest problems, especially those that are very small.
Image Source: Ang, C. (2020, October 10). Zooming in: visualizing the relative size of particles (I. Ghosh, Ed.). Visual Capitalist. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/RelativeSizeofParticles-Infographic-1200px_v8.jpg
A dust particle can be 2.5 micrometers, which is small enough to inhale. Whereas wildfire smoke particles are even smaller at 0.4 - 0.7 micrometers. These particles can be inhaled and can even enter the bloodstream through the lungs’ alveoli or the branches in the lungs that allow blood to drop off carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen.
This is how air pollution damages the lungs and leads to other health problems.