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Dust entry

Ambient particulate matter

A mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in air; smaller particles can penetrate deeper into the respiratory system.

Airborne form

mist

The form describes what is suspended in air at the point of exposure. A material can produce more than one form, such as dust during handling and fume during heating.

Health effects

aggravated asthmaairway irritationreduced lung functioncardiovascular effectspremature death in susceptible people

Carcinogenicity

See source classification — ambient particulate matter. Classification system: IARC, group not specified in this dataset.

A classification applies only to the agent and exposure described by the cited source; it is not a personal risk estimate.

Evidence

WHO's 2026 technical brief summarizes evidence linking air pollution with respiratory and cardiovascular effects and describes the scientific basis for WHO air-quality guidelines; it is contextual evidence for ambient particulate pollution rather than a claim about one specific dust composition.

Source: html ↗ · saved source
Overview · 1–3
The technical brief summarizes the current knowledge on the health effects of air pollution as well as emerging evidence of impact on respiratory, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, reproductive and metabolic systems.

EPA states that particles smaller than 10 micrometers can get deep into the lungs and links particle pollution with respiratory and cardiovascular health effects.

Source: US EPA: Particle Pollution and Health ↗

ATSDR defines particulate matter as a broad class of chemically and physically diverse solid particles and liquid droplets in ambient air, including particles from dust storms and other sources.

Source: pdf ↗ · saved source
page 1 · Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) is the generic term for a broad class of chemically and physically diverse solid particles and liquid droplets found in the ambient air. Particles originate from ... natural (e.g., dust storms) sources.

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