Director General

World Health Organization (WHO) Headquarters

Geneva, Switzerland

Subject: Petition to request WHO to notify safe air quality standards for
extremely fine particulate matter PM1

Director General

Air pollution has emerged as a very important issue due to its adverse impact on human
health and the surrounding environment. Accurate monitoring and measurements are
important aspects of pollution control strategies. Globally, various studies have already
reported the concentrations and negative impacts of PM2.5 and PM10 on human health.
However, very few studies focus on much finer particles i.e., particles having a diameter
less than 1 micron (PM1), which are even more lethal than PM2.5 and PM10. Moreover, till
now there are no safe baseline values for PM1 concentrations. We believe, once the safe
air quality standard for PM1 is established and notified, there would be a much greater
focus on accurate measurement, monitoring, source control, and mitigation strategies for
PM1 in ambient air. It is anticipated that such efforts would greatly contribute towards
protecting environment and human health and save millions of lives each year lost due to
air pollution worldwide.

With this background, Global Council for Environment and Health Inc.(GlobalCEH), an
organisation consisting of a team of passionate and dynamic academicians, researchers and
social workers working for the cause of environment protection and prevention of
environmental related health problems have launched a campaign called “CATS” (Clean
Air to Survive). We are hereby submitting this petition to your good office/esteemed
organization for your immediate kind attention to set up safe limit/standards for PM1 in
ambient air.

For reference, please find the attachment.

Thanking You and Kind Regards,

For and on behalf of Global Council for Environment and Health Inc

Manoj Kumar, (Founder of GlobalCEH)

Mob: +61 490 027 504, Email: info@globalceh.com
 “Immediate need for notifying air
quality standards of extremely fine particulate matter
PM1”

ABOUT THIS PETITION

This petition is dedicated to save the lives of millions of people globally from the harmful
effects of extremely finer particles i.e., PM1 which is a very dangerous air pollutant.
Without having the safe limit/standard, we may not be able to formulate appropriate rules
and policies regarding measurement, source control and taking further mitigative measures.
Hence, it is imperative to set/notify PM1 standard first on an immediate basis. Team
members of Global Council for Environment and Health Inc. (GlobalCEH), have launched
a campaign called Clean Air to Survive (CATS), requesting World Health Organization to
notify the safe air quality standard for PM1.
INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM

Ambient Air Pollution (AAP) has emerged as one of the serious hazards to human health
worldwide especially in developing nations like China and India. Urbanization,
industrialization, rapid growth of vehicles, construction activities, burning of agricultural
wastes, all in an unsustainable manner, are the primary contributors to air pollutants. Air
pollution is currently in the fifth position of global risk factors for mortality. The global
estimations in 2017 report that it contributes approximately 4.9 million deaths globally
annually which comprises almost 8.7% of all deaths which happen at global level along
with 5.9% lost to disability of all life years of human beings. Globally, AAP is estimated
to cause about 26%, 25%, 17%, and 16% of deaths caused due to respiratory infections,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke,
and lung cancer respectively. These deaths majorly occured due to exposure to small
particulate matter of size 2.5 microns or less in diameter (PM2.5).
Research studies show that particle size is one of the most important factors which
determine the health effects of particulate matter. Studies have reported the harmful effects
of high exposure to PM10, and PM2.5 on human health. Now a days, PM1 which is a major
part of PM2.5 is gaining more attention due to its chronic effects on human health. Hence,
it is the right time now to move further and think about much finer particle of size 1.0
microns or less in diameter i.e. PM1.
These finer particles are even more hazardous to human health as they can enter into the
circulatory system. These finer PM1 particles can travel to the deepest part of the lungs
during inhalation and passes through the alveolar cell membranes, through which they enter
into the bloodstream, damage the inner walls of arteries, penetrate tissue in the
cardiovascular system and potentially spread to the organs. PM1 is responsible for deadly
diseases like heart attacks, lung cancer, dementia, emphysema, edema and other serious
disease, leading to premature death. The toxicity of PM1 reportedly increases when other
toxic species such as heavy metals, organic and elemental carbon and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons are attached with these finer particles. According to a WHO report, PM1 and
PM between 0.1 μm and 1 μm in diameter can remain in the atmosphere for days or weeks
and thus be subject to long exposures and long-range transboundary transport.
Prof. Tarun Gupta and his research team from IIT Kanpur, India has identified that 16
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) compound attached on PM1 particles (PM1
average concentration 160.16 ± 37.70 μg/m3), which results in increasing toxicity of these
finer particles. In their study they reported that PAHs pose as a serious hazard to human
health and results in incremental lifetime cancer risks. In their another study they reported
that vehicular emission is the main source contributing to PM1 mass with minor
contributions from paved road dust and coal combustion. Another study from JNU, Delhi
by Akash Kumar and Arun Srivastava have found the presence of organic and elemental
carbon with PM1 and average PM1 level as 139.52±49.20 μg/m3 in Delhi’s outdoor air.
A study conducted by Gungbo Chen and colleagues for 26 Chinese cities in “The Lancet
Planetary Health” reported the elevated risks for emergency hospitalization with increase
in PM1 concentration. Similarly, a study of 65 Chinese cities have been published in
Environmental Science & Technology Letters, by Peng Yin and his colleagues. They have
found that for every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM1, there is an increase of 21% risks of
cardiovascular diseases than the risk related to PM2.5. Together these findings suggest that
PM1 has adverse effects on the health of the general population and strengthen the rationale
for restricting levels of PM1 in outdoor air.
A study from Istanbul, Turkey has identified that about 20% of the PM2.5 and PM1 mass
was constituted of 23 elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu,
Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Y, Mo, Ba) with average concentration of PM1 ranged as 7.6 - 30.2 μg/m3.

A panel study of healthy school children aged 13–14 years from Poland observed the
greater health effect for PM1 compared to PM2.5 on the lung function parameters.
Simultaneously, in a study of Central Europe, daily concentration of PAHs in PM1 was
observed higher at industrial site. An Australian study has shown that long term exposure
to vehicle emissions has been associated with harmful health effects. These studies are
collectively showing the urge of regular monitoring of PM1 mass concentrations as these
finer particles may be more important for health effects than bigger size PM fractions.

International research on PM1 reports that these finer particulate matter PM1 in ambient air
was recorded at very dangerous levels (nearly 200-300 µg/m3) during October-November
in New Delhi, India as per the NASA Report. Such finer particles were recorded to be way
higher than national ambient air quality standards.

Finally, through this petition, we would like to request all the national and international
bodies, protection authorities, the governments, NGOs, all associated individuals and
groups to sign this petition and request WHO to define the prescribed safe limit for much
fine particle PM1 to save the lives of millions globally.

Could you please also share this petition through your network to other individuals and
groups to sign and support this cause?

The studies carried out for PM1 all over the globe are listed in this link- LINK