Correction to: Scientific Reports https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90261-3, published online 15 February 2025

The original version of the Article contained an error in Figure 3. Due to the error during the figure assembly in the process of preparing the samples, the first and second view of PO group were taken from the same rat.

The original Figure 3 and accompanying legend appear below.

Fig. 3
figure 3

Effects of PM2.5 exposure on lung injury in elderly rats. Optical three images of H& E-stained lung tissues for each group are shown, and histopathological changes were observed in the different groups obtained from three different rats (n = 3). The green arrows represent macrophages, and the red arrows represent bleeding. (200 × magnification, scale bars = 100 μm).

The original Article has been corrected.