Health Effects of PM 2.5
Particle pollution, of all sizes, contains microscopic solids and liquid droplets that can be lodged into the lungs when inhaled. Side effects may include:
irregular heartbeataggravated asthma nonfatal heart attacks decreased lung function premature death in people with heart or lung disease increased respiratory symptoms,( such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing)Those with heart or lung diseases, children and the elderly are more susceptible to this form of pollution
Environmental damage includes
Reduced visibility, haze Increased acidity of lakes and streams Nutrient balance changes in coastal waters and river basins Reduced levels of nutrients in soil Damage to forests and crops Reduced diversity in ecosystems Damage to stone and other materialsSource: epa.gov• A new study predicts farm-based ammonia pollution costs $36 billion annually in American health impacts.
• Delaware County is part of an at-risk area, said Harvard researcher Fabien Poulet.
• Ammonia is linked to heart and lung disease and is a component of smog particles.
Farm-based ammonia pollution costs Americans more than $36 billion annually in health impacts, and Indiana is in a high-risk zone because of its location, farming and weather, a new study says.
East Central Indiana, including Delaware County, could be especially at risk, said Harvard researcher Fabien Paulot, co-author of the study. The report said the cost of ammonia pollution may even outweigh the net value of U.S. farm exports.
Most reports of industry- and farm-related pollution have focused on sulphur compounds and other pollutants formed when fossil fuels are burned. Ammonia can contribute to air pollution when it combines with those chemicals to form small particles that can become lodged in the lungs and are linked to heart and lung disease. These are the particles that make smog or haze.
The Indiana Farm Bureau, which represents the state’s agriculture industry, had no immediate comment on the study, said Justin Schneider, an attorney and policy adviser for the group.
But he said farmers and the agriculture sector are working hard to control pollution from all sources including ammonia, which is used in fertilizers and is a byproduct of animal waste.
“It is hard to keep everything in the field,” Schneider said. “There is some definite work to trying to figure what our technologies are.”
Paulot and Daniel Jacob calculated their findings through two computer models. One determines when and where ammonia pollution happens and the other looks at temperature, humidity and other atmospheric factors.
The cost estimate from the study is double what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency predicts because the agency uses a different model, the Harvard study said.
An EPA official said the agency does not comment on third-party studies, such as the Harvard report.
Ammonia can help create fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, which is a reference to the tiny particles less than 2.5 micrometers — about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair.
Mike Mettler, director of the Environmental Public Health Division for the State Department of Health, had no comment on the cost-benefit aspect of the study but said particulate matter pollution is a concern for his office.
Indiana is the 8th largest producer of PM2.5 from agricultural sources in the country as of 2011. Kansas is the highest, according to the EPA.
The researchers said their goal was to raise awareness, and they did not make recommendations concerning how Indiana and other states could cut their ammonia pollution.
It’s important, Paulot said, that policymakers not just focus on sources such as coal use and vehicle emissions in cutting pollution.
“What we want to convey from that study [is], generally, food export is [mistakenly] not considered a source of pollution,” Paulot said.
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