The air quality over sections of Kingston and St Andrew has deteriorated in recent days as the Saharan dust now drifting across Jamaica has triggered an uptick in particulate matter or PM 2.5 pollutants, the authorities have disclosed.

PM 2.5 is defined by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) as the “finer fraction of particulate matter that can lodge deep in the lungs and enter the blood stream”.

“This can cause decreased visibility and have significant impacts on human and environmental health. This can especially aggravate respiratory conditions,” the NEPA said on Friday in response to questions submitted by The Gleaner.