What Are the Different Kinds of Air Pollutants? Camfil Canada Air Pollution Experts Explain Particulate Matter, VOCs, and More
In Canada, air pollution is linked to at least 15,000 premature deaths per year. Globally, an estimated 4.2 million people die prematurely due to exposure to harmful airborne pollutants.
Environment Canada designates six main air pollution challenges to be tackled through policy and research:
- acidic deposition
- climate change
- stratospheric ozone depletion
- hazardous air pollutant
- surface oxidant episodes
- suspended particulate matter
Though each of these categories is assessed by its own cluster of scientists, analysts, and pollution experts, each is interconnected. Removing hazardous air pollutants from the air, for example, will help reduce instances of surface oxidant episodes (corrosion). These categories focus mainly on the consequences caused by air pollution rather than the specific solutions to best address them.
In this article, air quality experts from Camfil Canada, a global leader in air filtration research and engineering, explain the two main classes of air pollutants and how to address each of them.
What Are the Two Main Categories of Air Pollutants in Air Filtration?
For air filtration purposes, there are two main categories of air pollutants: particulate matter and gaseous pollutants (also referred to as molecular pollutants). Each type of pollutant is removed from the air in a different way and requires different air filtration products, so it is important to understand the distinction between the two.
What is Particulate Matter?
Particulate matter is defined as any solid or liquid particle small enough to be suspended in the air. Some of these particles, such as dust and smoke, are large enough to see with the naked eye, while others are so small that you would need an electron microscope to be able to see them.
There are three subcategories of particulate matter, which are divided based on the diameter of particles:
- PM10 refers to particles with a diameter of 10 microns (micrometers) or less. PM10 may also be referred to as “coarse particles.” Although PM10 is inhalable, our lungs are usually able to filter out particles of this size and prevent them from entering the bloodstream.
- PM2.5 refers to particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less. PM2.5, which is also referred to as “fine particulate matter,” is small enough to enter the lungs and do serious damage over time. Many studies on the health effects of particulate matter focus on PM2.5 or smaller. The infected respiratory aerosols that are responsible for spreading the SARS-CoV-2 virus are typically classified as PM2.5.
- PM1 refers to particles with a diameter of 1.0 microns or less. These particles are the most damaging when inhaled, as they can enter the bloodstream and damage other organs.
Examples of particulate matter include:
- Pollen and other allergens.
- Dust
- Smoke
- Pet dander
- Drops of liquid, including excess humidity (water droplets suspended in the air)
- Biological contaminants, such as pathogens and the infected droplets that carry them (including the virus that causes COVID-19)
Related: Do Antiviral Air Filters Cause More Harm than Good?
Particulate matter is removed from the air with filters that use dense filter media to trap as many particles as possible, such as panel filters and bag filters. Any MERV-rated filter or HEPA filter is designed to filter particulate matter out of the air. However, some filters are far more efficient than others at addressing specific particle sizes, so it is important to speak with an air filtration expert to determine the best solution for your situation.
What Are Gaseous Pollutants?
Gaseous pollutants, on the other hand, include any harmful pollutants that exist in a gaseous state at room temperature. The health and environmental effects of gaseous pollutants vary widely. Examples of common gaseous pollutants include:
- Ground-level ozone (O3).
- Nitrogen oxides (NOx).
- Carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are substances with a high vapour pressure at room temperature. Because a high vapour pressure correlates with a low boiling point, VOCs evaporate readily at room temperature. Common VOCs include formaldehyde, benzene, and ethylene glycol.
Related: How Do VOCs Affect Air Quality in Canada?
Gaseous pollutants are addressed using filters withvarious carbon medias, potassium permanganate or both , which traps/neutralizes gaseous pollutants.
It is important to note that commercial and residential HVAC systems do not protect our lungs against gaseous pollutants by default. The filters that come with most HVAC only filter out enough particulate matter to protect the equipment from being damaged.
Related: How Does Air Filtration for Gaseous Pollution Work?
About Camfil Canada Clean Air Solutions
For more than half a century, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment. We firmly believe that the best solutions for our customers are the best solutions for our planet, too. That’s why every step of the way – from design to delivery and across the product life cycle – we consider the impact of what we do on people and on the world around us. Through a fresh approach to problem-solving, innovative design, precise process control, and a strong customer focus we aim to conserve more, use less and find better ways – so we can all breathe easier.
The Camfil Group is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has 31 manufacturing sites, six R&D centers, local sales offices in 35+ countries, and about 5,200 employees and growing. We proudly serve and support customers in a wide variety of industries and in communities across the world. To discover how Camfil Canada can help you to protect people, processes, and the environment, visit us at www.camfil.com/en-ca/.
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Media Contact:
About Camfil Canada Clean Air Solutions
For more than half a century, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, we provide commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that improve worker and equipment productivity, minimize energy use, and benefit human health and the environment. We firmly believe that the best solutions for our customers are the best solutions for our planet, too. That’s why every step of the way – from design to delivery and across the product life cycle – we consider the impact of what we do on people and on the world around us. Through a fresh approach to problem-solving, innovative design, precise process control, and a strong customer focus we aim to conserve more, use less and find better ways – so we can all breathe easier.
The Camfil Group is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and has 33 manufacturing sites, six R&D centers, local sales offices in 30 countries, and about 4,800 employees and growing. We proudly serve and support customers in a wide variety of industries and in communities across the world. To discover how Camfil Canada can help you to protect people, processes, and the environment, visit us at www.camfil.com/en-ca/.
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Media Contact:
Berni Baier
Camfil Canada Inc.
T: (905) 660-0688
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