scholarly journals Comparative assessment of ecotoxicity of urban aerosol

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (16) ◽  
pp. 7365-7370 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Turóczi ◽  
A. Hoffer ◽  
Á. Tóth ◽  
N. Kováts ◽  
A. Ács ◽  
...  

Abstract. In addition to its mass concentration, the health effects of urban particulate matter may depend on its particle size distribution and chemical composition. Yet air pollution regulations rely on exclusively bulk PM10 concentration measurements, without regard to their potentially different health effects under different conditions. Aerosols from various sources are well known to contain a plethora of toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic constituents such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Extensive public health studies established the link between mass concentrations of PM2.5 / PM10 and health problems within the population. However, little is known about the relative importance of PM from different sources and the effect of seasonality on the toxicity. Here we present the application of a simple and sensitive method for the direct assessment of the overall ecotoxicity of various PM2.5 / PM10 samples collected on filters. The method is based on the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay that has been standardized for solid samples, representing a relevant biological exposure route. Direct emission samples proved to be significantly more ecotoxic than photochemically processed aerosol, thus marked differences were observed between the ecotoxicities of urban PM10 in summer and winter. These effects of urban PM10 may be useful supplementary indicators besides the mass concentrations of PM2.5 / PM10 in cities.

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 8533-8546 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Turóczi ◽  
A. Hoffer ◽  
Á. Tóth ◽  
N. Kováts ◽  
A. Ács ◽  
...  

Abstract. In addition to its mass concentration, the health effects of urban particulate matter may depend on its particle size distribution and chemical composition. Yet air pollution regulations rely on exclusively bulk PM10 concentration measurements, without regard to their potentially different health effects under different conditions. Aerosols from various sources are well known to contain a plethora of toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic constituents such as heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In spite of the fact that tremendous efforts have been put to establish links between aerosol pollution and human health or mortality, the potential acute effects of PM2.5/PM10 have never been assessed for lack of adequate methodology. Here we present the application of a simple and sensitive method for the direct assessment of the overall ecotoxicity of various PM2.5/PM10 samples collected on filters. The method is based on the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay that has been standardized for solid samples, representing a relevant biological exposure route. Direct emission samples proved to be significantly more ecotoxic than photochemically processed aerosol, thus marked differences were observed between the ecotoxicities of urban PM10 in summer and winter. The previously overlooked acute effects of urban PM10 may add to the established effects of gaseous primary pollutants aggravating health problems during severe air pollution episodes.


2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1954-1958 ◽  
Author(s):  
András Ács ◽  
Árpád Ferincz ◽  
Anikó Kovács ◽  
Beatrix Jancsek-Turóczi ◽  
András Gelencsér ◽  
...  

AbstractDiesel exhaust is one of the major sources of fine and ultrafine particulate matter in urban air. Toxicity of diesel-powered engine emissions has been quite widely assessed, however, much less information is available on their ecotoxicity. In our study the kinetic version of the Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition bioassay, based on the ISO 21338:2010 standard, was used to characterise the ecotoxicity of diesel-powered cars. The method is sensitive enough to test the ecotoxic effect of the emission of individual vehicles. In general, significant positive correlation was found between ecotoxicity (expressed as Toxic Unit /TU/values) and total carbon (TC) as well as between TU and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations.


Author(s):  
Lu Yang ◽  
Hao Zhang ◽  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Wanli Xing ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  

Particulate matter (PM) is a major factor contributing to air quality deterioration that enters the atmosphere as a consequence of various natural and anthropogenic activities. In PM, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a class of organic chemicals with at least two aromatic rings that are mainly directly emitted via the incomplete combustion of various organic materials. Numerous toxicological and epidemiological studies have proven adverse links between exposure to particulate matter-bound (PM-bound) PAHs and human health due to their carcinogenicity and mutagenicity. Among human exposure routes, inhalation is the main pathway regarding PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere. Moreover, the concentrations of PM-bound PAHs differ among people, microenvironments and areas. Hence, understanding the behaviour of PM-bound PAHs in the atmosphere is crucial. However, because current techniques hardly monitor PAHs in real-time, timely feedback on PAHs including the characteristics of their concentration and composition, is not obtained via real-time analysis methods. Therefore, in this review, we summarize personal exposure, and indoor and outdoor PM-bound PAH concentrations for different participants, spaces, and cities worldwide in recent years. The main aims are to clarify the characteristics of PM-bound PAHs under different exposure conditions, in addition to the health effects and assessment methods of PAHs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiying Wu ◽  
Yuting Jiang ◽  
Mingyuan Liu ◽  
Yu Shang ◽  
Jing An

The amino polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (amino-PAHs) were frequently detected in PM2.5, and it was suggested that they contributed to the harmful health effects associated with PM2.5.


2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 697-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuepeng Yang ◽  
Yan Ji ◽  
Fangfang Wang ◽  
Jia Xu ◽  
Xiangzhen Liu ◽  
...  

Vibrio fischeri bioluminescence inhibition has been widely used to test acute toxicities of metals and organics contaminants. However, the differences of metals and organics acute toxicities to V. fischeri have not been compared. Here, four heavy metals (Zn2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Cr6+) and five organics (phenol, benzoic acid, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, nitro-benzene and benzene) acute toxicities to V. fischeri were investigated. Heavy metals toxicities to V. fischeri were increased along with the reaction time, while the organics toxicities kept the same level in different reaction times. In order to explain the difference, the relative cell death rate of V. fischeri was detected. In metals toxicities tests, the bioluminescence inhibition rate of V. fischeri was found to be significantly higher than the relative cell death rate (P<0.05), while for the organics toxicities tests, the cell death rate was similar to the bioluminescence inhibition rate. These results indicated that organics acute toxicities to V. fischeri could reflect the death of cell, but metals acute toxicities to V. fischeri may not lead to the death of cell, just represent the bioluminescence inhibition.


1966 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Tayler ◽  
J. E. Rudman

A study of the horizontal and vertical distribution of herbage in grass-dominant swards was made to assess the relative importance of different sources of wastage during grazing. A sward grazed by cattle under two contrasting managements was divided, for the purpose of herbage sampling, into two categories: ‘grazed’ herbage, on ground with no obvious dung contamination, and ‘dung patches’, which were of ungrazed or lightly grazed herbage resulting from the effects of faeces dropped at previous grazings. In each category, samples were cut at two successive heights to provide an estimate of the quantity of herbage in the upper region of the sward (over 2½ in. from ground level) and in the lower region (½-2½ in. from ground level).After grazing, some 35% of the original crop remained in ‘grazed’ areas, and some 20% in ‘dung patches’. In terms of vertical distribution, most of the residue (40% of the original crop) was in the lower region, from ½ to 2½ in. above ground level.Total production as live-weight gain was not significantly different, but the yield of conserved herbage was greater in treatment R (five rotations) than in treatment RR (nineteen rotations). Frequent grazing reduced herbage production, and this effect was not offset by any less intense defoliation of the frequently grazed sward. The average quantity of herbage residue was no higher in treatment RR than in treatment R, although the time of occupation per plot by the cattle in RR was only a quarter of that of the cattle in treatment R.


1997 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 2064-2070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan O. Allen ◽  
Nameeta M. Dookeran ◽  
Koli Taghizadeh ◽  
Arthur L. Lafleur ◽  
Kenneth A. Smith ◽  
...  

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