- Air pollution can make people feel sick sometimes.
- Many people had surgery in Utah hospitals recently.
- Researchers looked at many surgery patients' home addresses.
- They measured air near each patient's home address.
- They measured tiny particles in the air nearby.
- When pollution was higher, surgery problems came more often.
- The number of problems after surgery went up.
- Small particles can travel from lungs to organs.
- The study cannot prove pollution caused problems directly.
- More research is needed to know details clearly.
Difficult words
- pollution — dirty air that can harm people's health
- surgery — a medical operation to fix a health problem
- researcher — a person who studies to find new factsResearchers
- measure — to check how much or how manymeasured
- particle — a very small piece of matter in airparticles
- organ — a part of the body that has a joborgans
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Have you ever felt sick from air pollution?
- Do you know someone who had surgery?
- Is the air near your home clean or dirty?
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