The effect of large air pollution exposure on chronic rhinitis.

On August 4th, 2020, Beirut witnessed the largest non-nuclear explosion in modern history. The explosion resulted in the release of large amounts of gases and particulate matters (PM) including ammonia and nitrogen oxides (NOx), as well as pure oxygen (O2). NO2 conversion into nitric and nitrous acids has been shown to damage the alveolar structure in distal airways. The goal of this study is to investigate the early and late, subjec-tive and objective, effects of the explosion and particulate mat-ter exposure on the upper airway, specifically chronic rhinitis.