National Museum of Natural Science

This is an exhibition about the air we breathe. The air we breathe claims about 10 lives every minute, yet the immediate danger is often invisible. What can a group of scientists and creators do for society through a museum? Polluted air first gives us a hazy visual experience- distant mountains disappearing from view, and the blurred outlines of buildings in the city. The extremely low visibility of buildings in cities shrouded in mist becomes islands floating in a sea of dust. The substance that fills the hazy vision has been the focus of much attention in recent years— "particulate matter." This refers to particulate matter similar to dust in polluted air. When its diameter is less than 2.5 micrometers, it is called "fine particulate matter" (PM2.5). Due to its extremely small size, it can easily enter the human body with the air, accumulate in the lungs, or circulate throughout the body with the blood, affecting organs such as the heart, kidneys, brain, and liver. If the particles carry harmful substances, they can cause various diseases. PM2.5 is generated in our daily lives such as frying in the kitchen, burning incense for ancestral worship, campfires, and setting off firecrackers during festivals.However, there are two major ongoing and large-scale sources of air pollution that have the greatest impact on air quality. One is stationary sources of pollution, including coal-fired power plants and factories. The other is mobile sources of pollution, which refers to cars and motorcycles powered by gasoline and diesel. The problem of PM2.5 is clear, but the solutions may be complex. It requires collective thinking and effort to address the sources of air pollution.