No abstract

Graphical abstract

High concentrations of pollution particles, including "soot" or black carbon, exist over the Indian Ocean, but their sources and geographical origins are not well understood. We measured emissions from the combustion of biofuels, used widely in south Asia for cooking, and found that large amounts of carbonaceous aerosols are emitted per kilogram of fuel burnt. We calculate that biofuel combustion is the largest source of black carbon emissions in India, and we suggest that its control is central to climate change mitigation in the south Asian region.

The proinflammatory effects of particulate pollutants, including diesel exhaust particles (DEP), are related to their content of redox cycling chemicals and their ability to generate oxidative stress in the respiratory tract. An antioxidant defense pathway, which involves phase II enzyme expression, protects against the pro-oxidative and proinflammatory effects of DEP. The expression of enzymes, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and GST, is dependent on the activity of a genetic antioxidant response element in their promoters. In this study we investigated the mechanism by which redox cycling organic chemicals, prepared from DEP, induce phase II enzyme expression as a protective response. We demonstrate that aromatic and polar DEP fractions, which are enriched in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and quinones, respectively, induce the expression of HO-1, GST, and other phase II enzymes in macrophages and epithelial cells. We show that HO-1 expression is mediated through accumulation of the bZIP transcription factor, Nrf2, in the nucleus, and that Nrf2 gene targeting significantly weakens this response. Nrf2 accumulation and subsequent activation of the antioxidant response element is regulated by the proteasomal degradation of Nrf2. This pathway is sensitive to pro-oxidative and electrophilic DEP chemicals and is also activated by ambient ultrafine particles. We propose that Nrf2-mediated phase II enzyme expression protects against the proinflammatory effects of particulate pollutants in the setting of allergic inflammation and asthma.

Background - There currently is substantial controversy about the role played by SARS-CoV-2 in aerosols in disease transmission, due in part to detections of viral RNA but failures to isolate viable virus from clinically generated aerosols. Methods - Air samples were collected in the room of two COVID-19 patients, one of whom had an active respiratory infection with a nasopharyngeal (NP) swab positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR. By using VIVAS air samplers that operate on a gentle water-vapor condensation principle, material was collected from room air and subjected to RT-qPCR and virus culture. The genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 collected from the air and of virus isolated in cell culture from air sampling and from a NP swab from a newly admitted patient in the room were sequenced. Findings - Viable virus was isolated from air samples collected 2 to 4.8m away from the patients. The genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated from the material collected by the air samplers was identical to that isolated from the NP swab from the patient with an active infection. Estimates of viable viral concentrations ranged from 6 to 74 TCID50 units/L of air. Interpretation - Patients with respiratory manifestations of COVID-19 produce aerosols in the absence of aerosol-generating procedures that contain viable SARS-CoV-2, and these aerosols may serve as a source of transmission of the virus.

Worldwide people are exposed to toxic ultrafine particles (UFP, with diameters (dp) less than 100 nm) and nanoparticles (NP, dp < 50 nm) under a variety of circumstances. To date, very limited information is available on human exposure to freshly emitted UFP and NP while traveling on major roads and freeways. We report in-cabin and outdoor measurements of particle number concentration and size distributions while driving three vehicles on Los Angeles freeways. Particle number concentrations and size distributions were measured under different vehicle ventilation settings. When the circulation fan was set to on, with substantial external air intake, outside changes in particle counts caused corresponding in-cabin changes approximately 30-60 s later, indicating an maximal air exchange rate of about 120-60 h(-1). Maximum in-cabin protection (approximately 85%) was obtained when both fan and recirculation were on. In-cabin and outdoor particle size distributions in the 7.9-217 nm range were observed to be mostly bimodal, with the primary peak occurring at 10-30 nm and the secondary at 50-70 nm. The vehicle's manufacture-installed particle filter offered an in-cabin protection of about 50% for particles in the 7-40 nm size range and 20-30% for particles in the 40 to approximately 200 nm size range. For an hour daily commute exposure, the in-vehicle microenvironment contributes approximately 10-50% of people's daily exposure to UFP from traffic.

Numerous studies have suggested the association of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with adverse health effects derived from exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) and diesel exhaust particles (DEP). This redox activity has been attributed to both inorganic and organic species present in these particles, but a clear distinction has not been established between the contribution of each. This article describes an application of an analytical procedure, based on the reaction of salicylic acid with hydroxyl radical to form dihydroxybenzoate (DHBA) isomers, to measure transition metal-based redox activity associated with ambient and diesel exhaust particles. In the procedure, ascorbic acid (AA) is used as electron source for reduction of metal ions and oxygen to generate superoxide, which is further reduced to hydroxyl radical in the presence of transition metal ions. Hydroxyl radical reacts with salicylate to generate DHBA isomers, which are measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detector. Both copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) ions generated DHBA isomers in a concentration-dependent manner but at different rates. The procedure was applied to DEP and ambient particles and the results showed Cu ion to be the major contributor to DHBA formation. The procedure provides a quantitative measure of transition metal-based redox activity associated with ambient samples with different physicochemical properties.

The authors thank the school districts and schools participating in the Children's Health Study (California Air Resources Board Contract A033-186), for their cooperation, and for the use of facilities; Mahnaz Hakami for laboratory assistance; Barbara Zielinska for help with the sampling design; and Janet Arey, Roger Atkinson, James N. Pitts Jr., and Richard Kamens for helpful discussions and insights. Finally, we thank the reviewers for their very helpful suggestions. This research was supported by the Southern California Particle Center and Supersite (USEPA Grants #R827352-01-0 and CR-82805901). Additional investigator support (E. A. A. H. M., and A. E.-F.) was provided by a NIEHS Center Grant (SP30ES07048-02). Although the research described in this article has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, it has not been subjected to the Agency's required peer and policy review and therefore does not necessarily reflect the views of the Agency. No official endorsement should be inferred.Address