Assessment of mutagenicity and toxicity of different‐size fractions of air particulates from La Plata, Argentina, and Leipzig, Germany

Abstract

Airborne particulates, especially fine particles and bound chemical compounds, are a potential mediator of adverse health effects. In this study an analysis was done of the concentration and size distribution of air particulate matter, the content of bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the biological effects of organic extracts from different fractions of dust that had been influenced by urban and industrial emissions from the regions of La Plata, Argentina, and Leipzig, Germany, along with samples from control areas. Air particulate matter was sampled in summer and winter in each region using a high-volume sampler with a six-stage cascade impactor, classifying dust in six size fractions from 10-microm particles to those less than 0.49 microm in size. Organic extracts of dust were tested for mutagenicity (Ames test, Salmonella typhimurium TA98 strain, S9+) and cytotoxicity (Tetrahymena pyriformis test system, growth rate, cell respiration). The content of PAHs was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array and fluorescence detection. Mutagenic and cytotoxic effects were found to be associated with very fine (<0.49 microm) and fine (<1.5 microm) particle-bound compounds, corresponding to a higher content of PAHs. The mutagenic potency (revertants/m(3)) associated with particles less than 0.49 microm from urban areas of La Plata was about 1 order of magnitude higher than in particles in the range of 3.0 to 0.49 microm. Fine fractions from sites with an industrial burden were also found to exhibit high mutagenic potency. A similar tendency was observed in cytotoxicity tests with T. pyriformis. This cell system proved to be very sensitive to toxicants in tested dust fractions. The observed biological effects were found to be correlated significantly with concentrations of total PAH, carcinogenic PAHs, and benzo[a]pyrene.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor-mediated activity of particulate organic matter from the Paso del Norte airshed along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“…Extracts from the winter La Plata samples were used for mutagenicity testing using the TA 98 strain of Salmonella typhimurium with an S9 microsomal fraction (TA 98 + S9); the results showed an average of 2.5 revertants/m 3 compared with 0.16 revertants/m 3 at the reference site. Massolo et al 2002 found a significant correlation between the levels of carcinogenic PAHs and BaP and mutagenicity. They also found that the highest mutagenicity was associated with particles ≤ 1.5 µm in diameter, those that have the highest likelihood of reaching the alveoli and deep respiratory tract.…”

“…Massolo et al (2002) assessed the chemical composition, mutagenicity, and toxicity of particulates from La Plata, Argentina, and Leipzig, Germany. Extracts from industrial areas in La Plata contained approximately 2.0 ng BaP/m 3 of air collected via a high-volume sampler (Massolo et al 2002). BaP in our samples collected from Advance ranged from 0.19 to 4.48 ng BaP/m 3 , with a geometric mean of 1.3 ng BaP/m 3 .…”

Hazardous Compounds in Urban Pm in the Central Part of Upper Silesia (Poland) in Winter

“…This is why the toxicity related to PAH [12] and transitive metals [60] is greater for fi ne than for coarse dust. The correlations between PAH content and cytotoxicity, mutagenity and DNA reactivity are higher for fi ne than coarse dust [3,12,31]. Such high winter concentrations and toxic component content of PM 1 cause health hazard for the inhabitants of Zabrze, yet more serious because of its periodic occurrence and several months' duration.…”

Source Apportionment of Urban Background Particulate Matter in Birmingham, United Kingdom Using a Mass Closure Model

“…The toxicities of most of these substances had been documented. For instance, PAHs are carcinogenic cytogenic and mutagenic (Massolo et al, 2002;Rehwagen et al, 2005); metals including lead, cadmium, mercury are toxic to the human health as well as the environment (WHO, 2011). The proofs of the impacts of particulate matter on the intrauterine or postnatal death or congenital defects, prematurity, and foetal development had been established (Maisonet et al, 2001;Perera et al, 2003).…”