The Particulate Matter and OUR HEALTH

Particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) shortens our lives

The diesel engine has always been synonymous with large amounts of black exhaust smoke containing particulate matter, which is one of the worst pollutants emitted by diesel engines. And it is precisely for this reason that, for years, increasingly stringent emission regulations have been issued in order to fight it. The term "particulate matter" means the solid and liquid particles generated by the combustion process and put in suspension by the exhaust gases. These are carbon particles on which several hydrocarbons from the fuel and the lubricant are condensed. The danger derives from their small size, of between 0.1 and 1 micron (one thousandth of a millimetre), which facilitates inhalation and retention in the bronchial cells. Particulate matter, suspended particulate matter, airborne dust and total suspended particulates (TSP) are terms that commonly identify the substances suspended in the air (fibres, carbon particles, metals, silica, liquid or solid pollutants). Particulate matter is the pollutant now considered to have the highest impact in urban areas, and is composed of all those solid and liquid particles dispersed in the air, with diameters ranging from a few nanometres to 500 microns and more (i.e. from billionths of a metre to half a millimetre). The total amount of airborne dust is generally measured in a quantitative way (weight / volume). In the absence of particular air pollutants, the dust in the air reaches various concentrations (mg/m3) in different environments, and is generally minimum in high mountain areas and increases when going from the countryside to cities and industrial areas. A formal identification of the size - Particulate Matter, abbreviated as PM - followed by the maximum aerodynamic diameter of the particles is used. For example, PM10 for all particles with diameters less than 10 µm, therefore PM2.5 is a subset of PM10, which in turn is a subset of coarse particle matter, etc.

In particular:
Coarse particle matter – sedimenting particles larger than 10 µm, unable to penetrate in the respiratory tract beyond the larynx, or that do so only to a very limited extent.
PM10 – particulate matter consisting of particles smaller than 10 microns (µm) (i.e. less than one hundredth of a millimetre) is an inhalable dust, which is able to penetrate in the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat). The particles between approx. 5 and 2.5 μm are deposited before the bronchioles.
PM2,5 – fine particulate matter of diameters less than 2.5 microns (a quarter of a hundredth of a millimetre) is a thoracic dust able to penetrate deeply into the lungs, especially when breathing through the mouth. Smaller sizes (ultrafine particulate matter) are referred to as breathable dust, which can penetrate deep into the lungs and to the pulmonary vesicles;
PM1, with diameter of less than 1 µm
PM0,1, with diameter of less than 0.1 µm
nanoparticles, with diameters in nanometres (one nanometer is PM 0.001).
The reduction of particulate matter can be obtained with the development of higher quality diesel fuels and the adoption of engine modifications such as improving the shape of the combustion chamber and the intake ducts, electronic fuel injection control and the use of high injection pressures (reached by modern diesel engines with direct injection). Therefore by working upstream of the supply, combustion efficiency can be improved with the aid of our Tre "D" Electromagnetic Anti-Particulate Devices; which means a drastic reduction in all pollutants and the particles of particulate matter (PM10-PM2.5 etc.).