Air Quality Articles
Airborne Mercury: A Case of Particulate Matter
Particulate matter, as defined by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is a mixture of liquid droplets or small particles made of metals, acids, organic chemicals, and dust. Also known as particle pollution (PM), particulate matter is a complex form of pollution. The minute size of particulate matter allows it to easily enter through the mouth, nose, and throat. Once inside a person's lungs, it can cause serious damage to his/her health.
Particulate matter is divided by the EPA into categories:
- Inhalable coarse particles - PM that are larger than 2.5 micrometers but smaller than 10 micrometers. Mostly found in dusty doorways and roads;
- Fine particles - PMs that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These can be acquired from forest fires, gases emitted from factories, power plants, and automobile exhaust fumes.
Recent news regarding particulate matter often involves airborne mercury produced and disposed by cement factories.
According to environmentalists, cement factories expel, on a yearly basis, an estimated 23,000 lbs of airborne mercury from 150 cement kilns all over the United States. Consequently, large natural bodies of water such as Lake Huron, San Francisco Bay, and Chesapeake Bay are open to such threats.
Mercury is a very toxic metal that can cause serious health problems, mainly to children. Some of the adverse effects of mercury-poisoning include brain impairment, neurological disorders, memory loss, and extreme numbness.
The EPA is currently checking and testing mercury levels in places where concentrations of the said element are expected in high levels, as most of these places are within the vicinity of cement factories. In addition, the EPA is also in the process of making a series of alterations regarding the standards of mercury emissions of cement factories. The EPA says it will have it first draft presented later this year.