As if global warming is not enough to get us all off fossil fuels, we’re learning that even air that seems clean is full of microscopic particulate matter, which is affecting our health.

Most fine particulate matter – PM 2.5 microns (about 1/30th the width of a human hair) – comes from burning fossil fuels. A new study published last month in The Lancet Planetary Health concludes that “almost all parts of the world have annual average PM 2.5 concentrations higher than air quality guidelines recommended by the World Health Organization.”

Doctors have long known that people exposed to obviously polluted air, such as those working in mines or living next to some industrial plants, often suffer from lung disease. In recent years, the experts have determined that millions die from air pollution, with the estimate for 2019 being 7 million deaths.

In the last several years, there has been an increased understanding that fine particulate matter is in the air we breathe and that it affects more than our lungs. We breathe it into our lungs and then it spreads through our bloodstream to our organs, causing inflammation. It is now known to contribute to premature birth and cardiovascular disease as well as causing asthma and lung cancer.

Worried? Call or email Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden and demand they stop subsidizing fossil fuels and place a surcharge (price) on carbon.

Nancy Hasenfus
Brunswick