Three light-duty vehicles in five different configurations [a Honda Accord operating with diesel with a closed-coupled oxidation catalyst and an underfloor catalyst replaced in some tests with a diesel particle filter (DPF), a Toyota Corolla operating with gasoline, and a VW Golf alternatively operating with petrodiesel or biodiesel] were tested in a dynamometer facility to develop an improved understanding of the factors affecting the toxicity of particulate exhaust emissions. The vehicles were tested using a variety of real-world driving cycles, more than the certification test (New European Driving Cycle). Particle samples were collected and analyzed for elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC, respectively), water soluble and water insoluble organic carbon (WSOC and WISOC, respectively), and inorganic ions, and the emission rates (mg/km) for each vehicle/configuration were determined. A dithiothreitol (DTT) assay was used to assess the oxidative potential of the particulate matter (PM) samples. The DPF-equipped diesel and gasoline vehicles were characterized by the lowest overall PM mass emissions, while the diesel and biodiesel cars produced the most potent exhaust in terms of oxidative activity. When the DPF was fitted on the Honda Accord diesel vehicle, the mass emission rates and distance-based oxidative potential were both decreased by 98%, compared to the original configuration. Correlation analysis showed that the DTT consumption rate was highly associated with WSOC, WISOC, and OC (R = 0.98, 0.93, and 0.94, respectively), consistent with previous findings.

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The link between emissions of vehicular particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects is well established. However, the influence of new emission control technologies and fuel types on both PM emissions and health effects has been less well investigated. We examined the health impact of PM emissions from two vehicles equipped with or without a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Both vehicles were powered either with diesel (B0) or a 50% v/v biodiesel blend (B50). The DPF effectively decreased PM mass emissions (∼85%), whereas the fuel B50 without DPF lead to less reduction (∼50%). The hazard of PM per unit distance driven was decreased for the DPF-equipped vehicle as indicated by a reduced cytotoxicity, oxidative, and pro-inflammatory potential. This was not evident and even led to an increase when the hazard was expressed on a per unit of mass basis. In general, the PM oxidative potential was similar or reduced for the B50 compared to the B0 powered vehicle. However, the use of B50 resulted in increased cytotoxicity and IL-6 release in BEAS-2B cells irrespective of the expression metric. This study shows that PM mass reduction achieved by the use of B50 will not necessarily decrease the hazard of engine emissions, while the application of a DPF has a beneficial effect on both PM mass emission and PM hazard.