Airborne environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in PM2.5 from combustion sources: Abundance, cytotoxicity and potential exposure risks

Zhen Zhao; Hanhan Li; Yaqian Wei; Guodong Fang; Qian Jiang; Yuting Pang; Weijie Huang; Mingwei Tang; Yuanshu Jing; Xinyuan Feng; Xiao-San Luo; Thomas Berkemeier

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172202

Airborne environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) in PM_2.5 from combustion sources: Abundance, cytotoxicity and potential exposure risks

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jun 1:927:172202. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172202. Epub 2024 Apr 8.

Authors

Zhen Zhao¹, Hanhan Li², Yaqian Wei², Guodong Fang³, Qian Jiang³, Yuting Pang⁴, Weijie Huang⁵, Mingwei Tang², Yuanshu Jing², Xinyuan Feng², Xiao-San Luo⁶, Thomas Berkemeier⁷

Affiliations

¹ International Center for Ecology, Meteorology, and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China; Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany.
² International Center for Ecology, Meteorology, and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China.
³ Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
⁴ International Center for Ecology, Meteorology, and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Zhejiang Institute of Meteorological Sciences, Hangzhou 310008, China.
⁵ International Center for Ecology, Meteorology, and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
⁶ International Center for Ecology, Meteorology, and Environment, School of Ecology and Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China. Electronic address: xsluo@nuist.edu.cn.
⁷ Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, 55128 Mainz, Germany.

PMID: 38599399
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172202

Abstract

As an emerging atmospheric pollutant, airborne environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are formed during many combustion processes and pose various adverse health effects. In health-oriented air pollution control, it is vital to evaluate the health effects of atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) from different emission sources. In this study, various types of combustion-derived PM_2.5 were collected on filters in a partial-flow dilution tunnel sampling system from three typical emission sources: coal combustion, biomass burning, and automobile exhaust. Substantial concentrations of EPFRs were determined in PM_2.5 samples and associated with significant potential exposure risks. Results from in vitro cytotoxicity and oxidative potential assays suggest that EPFRs may cause substantial generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon inhalation exposure to PM_2.5 from anthropogenic combustion sources, especially from automobile exhaust. This study provides important evidence for the source- and concentration-dependent health effects of EPFRs in PM_2.5 and motivates further assessments to advance public health-oriented PM_2.5 emission control.

Keywords: Combustion sources; Cytotoxicity; EPFRs; Health risks; ROS generation.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollution / statistics & numerical data
Environmental Exposure
Environmental Monitoring
Free Radicals
Humans
Particulate Matter* / analysis
Reactive Oxygen Species
Vehicle Emissions* / analysis

Substances

Particulate Matter
Air Pollutants
Free Radicals
Vehicle Emissions
Reactive Oxygen Species