logoalt Hacker News

culilast Saturday at 5:57 PM5 repliesview on HN

This is what frustrates me the most about air pollution indexes. They all treat PM2.5 equally regardless of the source. Smoke from a wildfire in an industrial area is NOT the same as smoke from a wildfire in a woodland. Hell, even some pollen fragments can be PM2.5. Formaldehyde and benzene particulate matter should not be treated equally to pollen fragments


Replies

rapjr9today at 4:29 AM

They don't seem to have considered fungus spores as PM2.5 either. Seems like a single spore could cause more damage than many carbon particles.

oidarlast Saturday at 7:19 PM

Formaldehyde and benzene are not particulates, they are VOC’s - a very different kind pollutant.

show 1 reply
BrtByteyesterday at 12:01 PM

Lumping all PM2.5 together is kind of like counting calories without considering whether they come from broccoli or corn syrup

hollerithlast Saturday at 6:40 PM

OK, but wood smoke is really bad for you even if the wood is completely natural.

show 2 replies
readthenotes1last Saturday at 6:38 PM

Pollen fragments are really bad for some of us....

show 1 reply