Inhalation Bioaccessibility of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in PM_2.5 under Various Lung Environments: Implications for Air Pollution Control during Coronavirus Disease-19 Outbreak

Abstract

Global spread of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) is placing an unprecedented pressure on the environment and health. In this study, a new perspective is proposed to assess the inhalation bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in PM 2.5 for people with various lung health conditions. In vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) was measured using modified epithelial lung fluids simulating the extracellular environment of patients with severe and mild lung inflammation. The average PAH IVBA in PM 2.5 of 24.5 ± 4.52% under healthy conditions increased ( p = 0.06) to 28.6 ± 3.17% and significantly ( p < 0.05) to 32.3 ± 5.32% under mild and severe lung inflammation conditions. A mechanistic study showed that lung inflammation decreased the critical micelle concentrations of main pulmonary surfactants (i.e., from 67.8 (for dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine) and 53.3 mg/L (for bovine serum albumin) to 44.5 mg/L) and promoted the formation of micelles, which enhanced the solubilization and competitive desorption of PAHs from PM 2.5 in the lung fluids. In addition, risk assessment considering different IVBA values suggested that PAH contamination levels in PM 2.5 , which were safe for healthy people, may not be acceptable for patients with lung inflammation. Because of the large number of COVID-19 infections, and the fact that some survivors of COVID-19 were observed to still show symptoms of interstitial lung inflammation, the finding here can provide important implications for both the scientific community and policy makers in addressing health risk and air pollution control during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Variation of PM2.5 Redox Potential and Toxicity During Monsoon in Delhi, India

“…Realistic lung fluids contain much more complicated chemicals, including surfactant proteins and antioxidants, which affect PM 2.5 deposition–speciation–clearance and associated toxic effects. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a carrier protein, which is used as a model in the formulation of SLF to measure the severity of lung inflammation. , Here, nicotine and BSA were selected as exogenous toxicants and proxies of endogenous proteins in lung fluid to assess their possible effects on PM 2.5 OP and ROS generation. Two concentration levels of nicotine (50 vs 250 mg L –1 ) and BSA (250 vs 1000 mg L –1 ) were included for simulating the lung fluid environments of smokers and individuals with inflammation, respectively.…”

“…Furthermore, PM 2.5 evaluation for OP and cytotoxicity typically considers normal healthy adults but individual differences exist. People with varying health conditions and lifestyles may experience distinct health impacts from PM 2.5 exposure. , For example, individuals with lung inflammation have increased bioaccumulation of carcinogenic PAHs in inhaled PM 2.5 , which increases their cancer risk . Like many other developing countries, India faces multifaceted public health challenges, including a growing population and a significant burden of chronic respiratory diseases .…”

“…36,37 For example, individuals with lung inflammation have increased bioaccumulation of carcinogenic PAHs in inhaled PM 2.5 , which increases their cancer risk. 38 Like many other developing countries, India faces multifaceted public health challenges, including a growing population and a significant burden of chronic respiratory diseases. 18 Besides air pollution, lifestyle and poverty contribute to health disparities.…”

Dual-Emission Single Sensing Element-Assembled Fluorescent Sensor Arrays for the Rapid Discrimination of Multiple Surfactants in Environments

“…Under the background of coexistence of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and human beings, surfactants are usually added into disinfectants to provide a synergistic effect with alcohols to inactivate the coronavirus. − However, the extensive use of disinfectants usually leads to the release of surfactants into the ecosystem, resulting in a series of environmental issues. In addition, exposure to surfactants with high concentrations can cause adverse health effects, such as irritation to human eyes and the skin. − In recent years, environmental health problems caused by surfactants have received extensive attention. − To date, many instrumental methods for surfactant detection have been developed, , but these techniques were hampered in wide applications due to high cost, tedious procedures, and time-consuming analysis. , Thus, it is essential to explore simple, efficient, and high-throughput methods to detect environmental surfactants for risk assessment.…”

Incorporating Bioaccessibility into Inhalation Exposure Assessment of Emamectin Benzoate from Field Spraying

“…18 Alternatively, in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility testing has been adopted as a conservative estimator of contaminant bioavailability and has attracted increasing interest due to its cost-effectiveness and simplicity. 19 Existing in vitro inhalation bioaccessibility procedures, such as Gamble solution (GS), 20 artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF), 21 and simulated lung fluid (SLF), 22 have been widely employed to study the inhalation bioaccessibility via inhalation exposure of hydrophobic organic contaminants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) 23 and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs), 24 in airborne fine particles. These methods use artificial lung fluids to extract contaminants under controlled conditions [extraction time, solid−liquid ratio (S/L), and agitation] that try to mimic the human body.…”