Epidemiologic evidence suggests a link between morbidity and mortality and levels of particulate matter in the atmosphere. We studied the inflammatory response to inhalation of diesel exhaust particulates (DEP) in normal volunteers. DEP were collected from the exhaust of a stationary diesel engine and were resuspended in an exposure chamber. Ten nonsmoking healthy volunteers were exposed for 2 h at rest to a controlled concentration of DEP (monitored at 200 microg/m(3) particulate matter of less than 10 microm aerodynamic diameter [PM(10)]) or air in a double-blind, randomized, crossover study. Exposures were followed by serial spirometry and measurement of pulse, blood pressure, exhaled carbon monoxide (CO), and methacholine reactivity, as well as sputum induction and venesection for up to 4 h after exposure, and a repeat of all these procedures at 24 h after exposure. There were no changes in cardiovascular parameters or lung function following exposure to DEP. Levels of exhaled CO were increased ater exposure to DEP, and were maximal at 1 h (air: 2.9 +/- 0.2 ppm [mean +/- SEM]; DEP: 4.4 +/- 0.3 ppm; p < 0.001). There was an increase in sputum neutrophils and myeloperoxidase (MPO) at 4 h after DEP exposure as compared with 4 h after air exposure (neutrophils: 41 +/- 4% versus 32 +/- 4%; MPO: 151 ng/ml versus 115 ng/ml, p < 0.01), but no change in concentrations of inflammatory markers in peripheral blood. Exposure to DEPs at high ambient concentrations leads to an airway inflammatory response in normal volunteers.

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[1] An aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer was deployed at Mace Head (Ireland) during August 2002. The measurements provide qualitative chemical composition and size distribution (0.3-3 mm) information for single particles. Three broad categories of particles: sea salt, dust, and carbon-containing particles were identified and apportioned, and their temporal evolution (1 hour resolution) is described. Aerosol sources were correlated with meteorological factors and with air mass trajectories, demonstrating long-range transport of different continental air masses from Europe, Africa, and America. The major class of particles was derived from sea salt and was subdivided into pure, mixed, and aged sea salt according to the extent of displacement of chloride by nitrate. Two types of dust particles were found mainly in the coarse mode (>1 mm); the former, thought to originate from the Sahara, presented an aluminium/silicon signature, while the latter, of more local origin, had a calcium-rich composition. Carbon-containing particles were mainly distributed in the fine mode (<1 mm) and associated with different chemical species in different size modes, suggesting different mechanisms of formation.