Shedding light on the dark side of biomass burning pollution – Phys.org

Oxidized organic aerosol is a major component of ambient particulate matter, substantially impacting climate, human health and ecosystems. Oxidized aerosol from biomass burning is especially toxic, known to contain a large amount of mutagens that are known carcinogens. Inhaling biomass burning particles can also cause oxidative stress and a wide range of diseases such as heart attacks, strokes and asthma. Oxidized aerosol primarily forms from the atmospheric oxidation of volatile and semi-volatile…

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