SMOKING a whole packet of cigarettes in a day once or twice a year would certainly make someone feel ill, but probably would not kill him. Smoking even one cigarette every day for decades, though, might do so. That is the difference between acute and chronic exposure, and it is a difference most people understand. What they may not understand is that the same thing applies to air pollution.
Science & technology | Air pollution
Breathtaking
Air-quality indices make pollution seem less bad than it is
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline "Breathtaking"
Science & technology July 30th 2016
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