Abstract :Environmental particulate matter (PM) pollution causes adverse respiratory health effects. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to high levels of PM, either acutely or chronically, is associated with increased loss of lung function, exacerbation, hospitalization, disease incidence, and/or mortality of certain chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. However, the detailed cellular mechanisms how PM induces the airway injury remain largely unknown. In this short review, we summarize recent advances on the fundamental mechanisms of PM-induced adverse respiratory health effects, with emphases on the damages in airway epithelial cells and the responses from the immune system. We further discuss the inadequacy of current studies and give a perspective on this burgeoning field.