Fine Particulate Matter Enters the Human Body Silently – How Can We Protect Our Health?

Air pollutants such as fine particulate matter PM2.5, PM10, and others silently enter the human body every day with each breath, causing a wide range of serious health consequences.

PM2.5 and PM10 are among the most important indicators for assessing air quality. In addition, harmful gases such as NO₂, SO₂, CO from traffic, construction, industrial and agricultural activities, along with smaller proportions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic), and ultrafine particles (PM0.1, UFPs), are hazardous pollutants that not only affect human health but also impact ecosystems and, more broadly, contribute to climate change.

According to Dr. Cấn Thị Hằng, Department of General Internal Medicine, Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, the harmful effects of air pollution occur on a large scale and at multiple levels of health impact.

With respiratory system – The respiratory system is the first organ system directly affected. Larger particles such as PM10 are often trapped in the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat), causing irritation and inflammation of the nasal passages and pharynx. However, these particles can still penetrate deeper, affecting the pulmonary airways and exacerbating chronic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchiectasis.

Smaller particles such as PM2.5 can penetrate deeper into the lungs, reaching the alveoli and entering the bloodstream, causing inflammation and reduced lung function.

Studies using electron microscopy techniques have demonstrated that ultrafine particles can penetrate macrophages and even the lymphoid tissue of the lungs, accumulating over time.

“This is strong evidence that inhaled particles do not remain only on the surface of the alveoli but can be transported to deeper structures of the immune system in the lungs,” Dr. Hằng shared.

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