The Oxidative Potential of Personal and Household PM 2.5 in a Rural Setting in Southwestern China

The chemical constituents of fine particulate matter (PM ) vary by source and capacity to participate in redox reactions in the body, which produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Knowledge of the sources and components of PM may provide insight into the adverse health effects associated wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironmental science & technology Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 2788 - 2798
Main Authors Brehmer, Collin, Lai, Alexandra, Clark, Sierra, Shan, Ming, Ni, Kun, Ezzati, Majid, Yang, Xudong, Baumgartner, Jill, Schauer, James J, Carter, Ellison
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 05.03.2019
Subjects
Air Pollutants
China
Environmental Monitoring
Female
Humans
Oxidation-Reduction
Oxidative Stress
Particulate Matter
China
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Summary:The chemical constituents of fine particulate matter (PM ) vary by source and capacity to participate in redox reactions in the body, which produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). Knowledge of the sources and components of PM may provide insight into the adverse health effects associated with the inhalation of PM mass. We collected 48 h household and personal PM exposure measurements in the summer months among 50 women/household pairs in a rural area of southwestern China where daily household biomass burning is common. PM mass was analyzed for ions, trace metals, black carbon, and water-soluble organic matter, as well as ROS-generating capability (oxidative potential) by one cellular and one acellular assay. Crustal enrichment factors and a principal component analysis identified the major sources of PM as dust, biomass burning, and secondary sulfate. Elements associated with the secondary sulfate source (As, Mo, Zn) had the strongest correlation with increased cellular oxidative potential (Spearman r: 0.74, 0.68, and 0.64). Chemical markers of biomass burning (water-soluble potassium and water-soluble organic matter) had negligible oxidative potential, suggesting that these assays may not be useful as health-relevant exposure metrics in populations that are exposed to high levels of smoke from household biomass burning.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.8b05120