![]() By contrast, eastern states have more sulfate particles than the West on average, largely due to the high levels of sulfur dioxide emitted by large, coal-fired power plants. For example, nitrate particles from motor vehicle exhaust form a larger proportion of the unhealthful mix in the winter in western states, especially California and portions of the Midwest. Much of that comes from the sources that produce the particles. The mixtures differ between different regions in the United States and in different times of the year. As EPA put it, particles are really “a mixture of mixtures.” 2 Some are liquid some are solids suspended in liquids. Although we often think of particles as solids, not all are. “A mixture of mixtures.” Because particles form in so many ways, they can be composed of many different compounds. These particles get trapped in the lungs, while the smallest are so minute that they can pass through the lungs into the bloodstream, just like the essential oxygen molecules we need to survive. However, those defenses do not keep out smaller fine or ultrafine particles. Our natural defenses help us to cough or sneeze some coarse particles out of our bodies. ![]() The differences in size make a big difference in where particles affect us. No matter what the size, particles can harm your health. Ultrafine particles (not shown) are smaller than 0.1 micron in diameter 1 and are small enough to pass through the lung tissue into the blood stream, circulating like the oxygen molecules themselves. ![]() Fine particles (shown as pink dots in the illustration) are 2.5 microns in diameter or smaller and are called PM 2.5. Coarse particles (shown as blue dots in the illustration) fall between 2.5 microns and 10 microns in diameter and are called PM 10-2.5. Researchers categorize particles according to size, grouping them as coarse, fine and ultrafine. You can only see the haze that forms when millions of particles blur the spread of sunlight. Because of their size, you cannot see the individual particles. Many are even tinier some are so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope. Some are one-tenth the diameter of a strand of hair. Particles themselves are different sizes. What helps one person concentrate might be distracting to someone else, and what helps one person unwind might make another person jumpy.Size matters. Pay attention to how you react to different forms of music, and pick the kind that works for you. Listening to the Beatles might bring you back to the first moment you laid eyes on your spouse, for instance. Reach for familiar music, especially if it stems from the same time period that you are trying to recall. It might not feel pleasurable at first, but that unfamiliarity forces the brain to struggle to understand the new sound. ![]() New music challenges the brain in a way that old music doesn’t. Often we continue to listen to the same songs and genre of music that we did during our teens and 20s, and we generally avoid hearing anything that’s not from that era. Listen to what your kids or grandkids listen to, experts suggest. Try these methods of bringing more music-and brain benefits-into your life. The power of music isn’t limited to interesting research.
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