When inhaled, the gas forms carboxyhemoglobin, a compound that disrupts normal respiration by inhibiting the transfer of oxygen to specialized blood cells that transport the oxygen throughout the body. Symptoms from exposure include impairments in visual perception, manual dexterity, learning functions and the ability to perform complex tasks. Sensitive individuals, such as infants, the elderly or respiratory patients may be highly susceptible to acute symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. Particulate matter consists of airborne solid particles and liquid droplets. Coarse airborne particles are produced during grinding operations, or from the physical disturbance of dust by natural air turbulence processes, such as wind.
Fine particles can be a by product of fossil fuel combustion, such as diesel and bus engines.
Fine particles can easily reach remote lung areas, and their presence in the lungs is linked to serious respiratory ailments such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and aggravated coughing. Exposure to these particles may aggravate other medical conditions such as heart disease and emphysema and may cause premature death. Ozone is a chemically unstable molecule composed of three oxygen atoms. Ground level ozone is formed by sunlight and heat acting upon fuel combustion by products such as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. Ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere and shields the Earth from ultraviolet radiation.