The report also says that the congestion charge has caused reductions in the two most concerning pollutants to London, by 8% for nitrogen oxides and 7% for particulate matter that is fine enough to penetrate the lungs and cause health problems (referred to as PM10).

FORBES: Paul Maidment

It aims to establish a platform for exchange of knowledge with respect to methods for characterisation of colloidal and particulate matter in these systems and to cover the technological aspects of particulate matter in different water treatment processes such as drinking water, wastewater and landfill polluted waters.

UNESCO: Water Portal | Water Events Worldwide

The study compared mice fed a high-fat diet with those fed a normal, healthy diet, and exposed some members of both groups daily to fine particulate matter, controlling for all other factors.

FORBES: Two New Reasons to Worry about Air Pollution: Obesity and Diabetes

Respiratory health researches have for years suspected a relationship between raised levels of particulate matter (defined as airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrograms) and cardiac arrest.

FORBES: Researchers Prove Air Pollution Causes Heart Attacks

Using gas cookers, or burning candles, for example, both result in indoor levels of carbon monoxide and particulate matter that are just as high as those to be found outside, amid heavy traffic.

ECONOMIST: Indoor pollution

Consider, for example, a spate of new studies that have found a rather convincing correlation between the presence of small particulate matter (PM2.5, the fine particles blown into the air by road traffic, coal-fired power plants, industrial manufacturing, and residential wood fuel combustion) and both obesity and diabetes.

FORBES: Two New Reasons to Worry about Air Pollution: Obesity and Diabetes

Meanwhile, trucks account for almost one quarter of China's vehicles but contribute a disproportionate share, almost 80%, of vehicle particulate matter.

WSJ: China's Pollution Fight Faces Resistance