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PM2.5

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PM2.5

MiTracking Survey

Complete this survey to tell us the best ways to share environmental health data and information with you.

Your feedback is voluntary and confidential. It will only take you 5-10 minutes to complete. You must be a Michigan resident and at least 18 years old to participate.

The survey will be open until October 15th, 2026. You can start the survey by clicking the link below.

If you have questions or concerns about participating, please email MDHHS-MiTracking@Michigan.gov 

Illustration showing that PM 2.5 is much smaller than the width of a human hair, a fine grain of sand, or even pollen, dust, and mold

Particle pollution, or particulate matter (PM), is made up of very small particles in the air including dust, dirt, soot, smoke and drops of liquid. PM is small enough to breathe into the deepest parts of your lungsand even pass into your bloodstream.

Particles that are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are referred to as PM2.5. For comparison, a strand of hair is about 70 micrometers wide. Some sources that give off PM2.5 include construction sites, unpaved roads, fields, smokestacks and fires. PM2.5 also forms in the atmosphere from chemicals given off by power plants, industries and automobiles.For more information on air quality, visit the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). 

Climate Change

Climate change can increase the amount of PM2.5 in the air.

Climate change affects human health in serious ways by changing air quality. The connection between PM2.5 and climate change is two-fold:

  • The more fossil fuels and pollution, including PM2.5, enter the air, the more the climate can change.
  • The risk of wildfires, which give off PM2.5, grows with increased temperatures and droughts.

Helping to reduce climate change and adapt to its impacts provides opportunities to improve health.

Health

PM2.5 can affect your health.

These small particles compared to other particles are most likely to contribute to serious health problems. Urban areas, communities near industrial facilities and areas near major highways or with high levels of traffic can experience higher levels of particulate matter air pollution. Breathing PM2.5 can negatively impact lung and heart health for everyone. People with heart and lung disease are most vulnerable to the negative health effects of PM2.5.

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