High pollution levels from wildfires in Quebec have prompted a Code Red air quality alert today, meaning that the air is unhealthy for everyone. The NC Department of Environmental Quality issued the alert based on levels of very fine particulate matter, known as PM 2.5.
PM 2.5 – which is smaller than the width of a human hair – burrows into the lungs and invades the bloodstream. Short-term exposure can induce asthma attacks, bronchitis and irregular heartbeat, even severe enough to require hospitalization.
If possible, all people should limit their time or exertion outdoors. Older adults, children, active people and those with heart and lung problems could be especially sensitive. As the smoke continues to build into the state, high levels of fine particles are expected to mix near ground level, according to a DEQ press release.
Chronic exposure to PM 2.5 can increase the risk of dementia, and cause premature birth and low birth weight — both of which can portend health problems later in life. Black women have preterm birth rates 50% higher than white women, primarily because of exposure to air pollution from highways, factories and other contaminating industries that tend to cluster in nonwhite neighborhoods.
A 2022 study of PM 2.5 exposure in the Southeast, including North Carolina, tracked the health of 13.5 million people ages 65 and older, for 16 years. Researchers found that long-term exposure to the components of PM 2.5 — black carbon, nitrate, organic matter, soil particles and sulfate — was associated with higher rates of premature death. The study was published in the journal Environment International.
Areas of North Carolina had elevated levels of PM 2.5 components. High nitrate concentrations were found in eastern North Carolina, and high sulfate levels occurred in central parts of the state. Sections of the North Carolina-Tennessee border also registered high levels of PM 2.5-related pollutants.
What’s in PM 2.5?
- Black carbon is commonly found in soot. It is produced during the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, biofuels and biomass — like trees.
- Organic matter is composed of carbon and trace amounts of other substances, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. PAHs occur when coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, and tobacco are burned.
- Major sources of nitrate and sulfate in the Southeast are gasoline-powered vehicles, diesel engines, natural gas and coal burning.
- Soil particles sound innocent enough, except that other harmful contaminants, like heavy metals and silica, hitchhike on them as they travel through your nose, throat and lungs.
