Sources, characteristics, toxicity, and control of ultrafine particles: An overview

Abstract Air pollution by particulate matter (PM) is one of the main threats to human health, particularly in large cities where pollution levels are continually exceeded. According to their source of emission, geography, and local meteorology, the pollutant particles vary in size and composition. These particles are conditioned to the aerodynamic diameter and thus classified as coarse (2.5–10 μm), fine (0.1–2.5 μm), and ultrafine (