Study of Potential Health Damage Caused by Ultrafine Particles in Megacities Using a Pulmonary Deposition Model

Abstract

The deposition of ultrafine particles, in the human respiratory tract, from four highly impacted megacities across the globe, was evaluated by using a pulmonary deposition model. It was found that, for the locations studied, an average of 62% of atmospheric particles was retained in the respiratory system. As expected, the model shows that smaller particles penetrate deeper in the airways. In addition, it’s shown that children are more susceptible than adults, retaining 8% more ultrafine particles.