Black carbon is formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and biomass. It is the most strongly light-absorbing component of fine particulate matter, and a local and regional air pollutant. It is also a short-lived climate pollutant with a lifetime of only days to weeks after release into the atmosphere. During that short period, it can have significant direct and indirect radiative forcing effects that contribute to anthropogenic climate change at regional and global scales. Black carbon is a good indicator of primary emissions and is often used as an indicator of the success of measures to reduces air pollution. Black carbon particles can travel deep into the human respiratory tract, causiing short-term health effects and longer-term respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Reducing black carbon emissions is the key to improving both indoor and outdoor air quality.
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