Air pollution is associated with significant adverse health effects, including increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of PM2.5 increases ischemic cardiovascular events and promotes atherosclerosis. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that the smallest pollutant particles pose the greatest danger because of their high content of organic chemicals and prooxidative potential.

Residue burning practice is followed in major Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. Agricultural residue burning in the fields and used otherwise for rural domestic needs is responsible for a large number of toxic emissions, which are a health hazard.

Crop residue burning results in the emission of many a toxic pollutants. These emissions can travel long distances affecting thereby the entire region. Due to these emissions the air quality of the region worsens, which results in nose and throat itching and burning, and irritation of the airway tract.

There's good news and bad news when it comes to air quality in Israel. On the one hand, Israel's annual monitoring report for 2006 reveals improvements in air pollution, especially when it comes to pollution from transportation sources in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Living close to a busy road can damage your heart - and now we're closer to understanding why. Previous studies had suggested that people living in polluted areas are more at risk of heart disease.

Urban populations are exposed to a high level of fine and ultrafine particles from motor vehicle emissions which affect human health.

A large body of epidemiologic literature has found an association of increased fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) with acute and chronic mortality. The effect of improvements in particle exposure is less clear.

In this study, the authors assessed the relationship between daily changes in respiratory health and particulate levels with diameters of (a) less than 10 μm (PM₁₀) and (b) less than 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) in Kanpur, India.