Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2016) | Viewed by 25706

Special Issue Editor

Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences, Università degli Studi del Molise, Campobasso, Italy
Interests: liquid chromatography; sample preparation; chromatography; environment high-performance liquid chromatography; climate change; ecology; environmental analysis mass spectrometry; analytical chemistry instrumentation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) influences the Earth’s energy budget by acting directly on the climate, with a greater absorption of solar radiation and consequent decreasing in the percentage of radiation, and/or indirectly, constituting condensation nuclei for clouds, increasing their possible formation. Further, in 2015 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) considered PM as a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths and classified it as carcinogenic to humans in Group I. The hazards associated with PM inhalation are related to particle sizes. PM10 is able to pass through the first airways and is deposited in the pharyngo-laryngeal region, whereas PM2.5 manages to penetrate the tracheo-bronchial region reaching the alveolar one. Recent studies underline the importance of granulometric particle size, focusing the attention on particles <100 nm, i.e., nanoparticles. Nanoparticles have been named differently, as “UltraFine Particles” (UFPs), by toxicologists and environmental hygienists, “Aitken nuclei” by the experts of atmospheric sciences, and “nanostructured materials made” in the field of Material Sciences. The distinction of the particles, based on their size, has given rise to two classifications: Modal classification, based on the mechanisms of formation, and dosimetry classification, based on capabilities to reach different respiratory regions. In fact, these generate lung problems because of their high deposition capacity and they penetrate effectively into the respiratory system and are able to pass from the respiratory system to the circulatory system.

This Special Issue would like to investigate nanoparticles in terms of both chemical-physical characterization (a very little known task) and biological mechanisms of penetration in the blood system, taking into account the relative effects in the deepest regions of the human respiratory systems as well. The topics will be related to indoor and outdoor, workplaces and residential indoors. This view should provide a better understanding of nanoparticles.

Dr. Pasquale Avino
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • UltraFine Particles
  • Aerosol
  • Indoor
  • Outdoor
  • Mechanism
  • Behavior
  • Measurement equipment
  • Atmospheric pollutants
  • Sources
  • Emissions
  • Deposition
  • Doses
  • Human health
  • Respiratory system

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

3367 KiB  
Article
Variability of Black Carbon and Ultrafine Particle Concentration on Urban Bike Routes in a Mid-Sized City in the Po Valley (Northern Italy)
by Giovanni Lonati, Senem Ozgen, Giovanna Ripamonti and Stefano Signorini
Atmosphere 2017, 8(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8020040 - 16 Feb 2017
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 5841
Abstract
Cyclists might experience increased air pollution exposure, due to the proximity to traffic, and higher intake, due to their active travel mode and higher ventilation. Several local factors, like meteorology, road and traffic features, and bike lanes features, affect cyclists’ exposure to traffic-related [...] Read more.
Cyclists might experience increased air pollution exposure, due to the proximity to traffic, and higher intake, due to their active travel mode and higher ventilation. Several local factors, like meteorology, road and traffic features, and bike lanes features, affect cyclists’ exposure to traffic-related pollutants. This paper investigates the concentration levels and the effect of the features of the bike lanes on cyclists’ exposure to airborne ultrafine particulate matter (UFP) and black carbon (BC) in the mid-sized city of Piacenza, located in the middle of the Po Valley, Northern Italy. Monitoring campaigns were performed by means of portable instruments along different urban bike routes with bike lanes, characterized by different distances from the traffic source (on-road cycle lane, separated cycle lane, green cycle path), during morning (9:00 am–10:00 am) and evening (17:30 pm–18:30 pm) workday rush hours in both cold and warm seasons. The proximity to traffic significantly affected cyclists’ exposure to UFP and BC: exposure concentrations measured for the separated lane and for the green path were 1–2 times and 2–4 times lower than for the on-road lane. Concurrent measurements showed that exposure concentrations to PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 were not influenced by traffic proximity, without any significant variation between on-road cycle lane, separated lane, or green cycle path. Thus, for the location of this study PM mass-based metrics were not able to capture local scale concentration gradients in the urban area as a consequence of the rather high urban and regional background that hides the contribution of local scale sources, such as road traffic. The impact of route choice on cyclists’ exposure to UFPs and BC during commuting trips back and forth from a residential area to the train station has been also estimated through a probabilistic approach through an iterative Monte Carlo technique, based on the measured data. Compared to the best choice, a worst-route choice can result in an increased cumulative exposure up to about 50% for UFPs, without any relevant difference between cold and warm season, and from 20% in the cold season up to 90% in the warm season for equivalent black carbon concentration (EBC). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects)
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573 KiB  
Article
Tracheobronchial and Alveolar Particle Surface Area Doses in Smokers
by Fernanda Carmen Fuoco, Luca Stabile, Giorgio Buonanno, Mauro Scungio, Maurizio Manigrasso and Andrea Frattolillo
Atmosphere 2017, 8(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos8010019 - 19 Jan 2017
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4429
Abstract
Cigarette smoke is the main cause of lung cancer events. Mainstream cigarette smoke (MSS) is a direct concern for smokers, but also the secondhand smoke (SHS) contributes to the smoker exposure. In addition, smoker exposure is affected by the “free-smoke” particle exposure (B), [...] Read more.
Cigarette smoke is the main cause of lung cancer events. Mainstream cigarette smoke (MSS) is a direct concern for smokers, but also the secondhand smoke (SHS) contributes to the smoker exposure. In addition, smoker exposure is affected by the “free-smoke” particle exposure (B), related to the micro-environments where smokers spend time. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the daily alveolar and tracheobronchial deposited fractions of airborne particles for smokers as the sum of these three contributions: MSS, SHS, and B. Measurements of particle surface area distributions in the MSS were performed through a Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer, an Aerodynamic Particle Sizer, and a Thermo-dilution system on five types of conventional cigarettes. A Monte Carlo method was then applied to evaluate the most probable value of dose received during the inhalation of MSS by smokers. Measurements of particle concentrations in SHS and at the “free-smoke” particle background (B) were performed through 24-h monitoring at a personal scale of adult smoker through hand-held devices. This paper found that the total daily deposited dose for typical smokers was 1.03 × 105 mm2·day−1. The main contribution of such a huge daily dose was addressable to the MSS (98%) while SHS contributed 1.1%, increasing up to 2% for people smoking only while traveling in a car. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects)
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3027 KiB  
Article
Environmental Exposure to Ultrafine Particles inside and nearby a Military Airport
by Marcello Campagna, Andrea Frattolillo, Sergio Pili, Gabriele Marcias, Natalia Angius, Costantino Carlo Mastino, Pierluigi Cocco and Giorgio Buonanno
Atmosphere 2016, 7(10), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7100138 - 20 Oct 2016
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4823
Abstract
Airport activities can contribute to the emission of ultrafine particles (UFPs) in the environment. The aim of our study is to assess the airborne levels of UFPs in a military airport and in the surrounding area. Four outdoor air samplings were carried out [...] Read more.
Airport activities can contribute to the emission of ultrafine particles (UFPs) in the environment. The aim of our study is to assess the airborne levels of UFPs in a military airport and in the surrounding area. Four outdoor air samplings were carried out inside a military airport during flight activities, twelve nearby the military airport, five in an urban area, and one in a rural area. We used a portable Electrical Low Pressure Impactor to detect the particle number size distribution as well as the number concentration. Particles were chemically analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Inside the military airport, we observed an inverse correlation with distance from flight activities. The median UFP count ranged 3.7 × 103 –2.9 × 104 particles/cm3, and the highest UFP count was 4.0 × 106 particles/cm3 (during the taxi and take-off activities). Nearby the airport, UFP number concentrations were more elevated in the winter season and we did not observe a correlation with flight activities. Our results show a constant presence of UFPs regardless of the flight activities nearby the airport. Other anthropic sources may generate UFP concentrations significantly higher than those generated by airport activities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects)
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1944 KiB  
Article
Submicron Particle-Bound Mercury in University Teaching Rooms: A Summer Study from Two Polish Cities
by Grzegorz Majewski, Karolina Kociszewska, Wioletta Rogula-Kozłowska, Halina Pyta, Patrycja Rogula-Kopiec, Walter Mucha and Józef S. Pastuszka
Atmosphere 2016, 7(9), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7090117 - 15 Sep 2016
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5043
Abstract
The goal of the study was to determine the concentrations of submicron particulate matter (PM1) and of the mercury contained in it (Hgp) in the air in two teaching rooms in two Polish cities, Gliwice and Warsaw. The levels [...] Read more.
The goal of the study was to determine the concentrations of submicron particulate matter (PM1) and of the mercury contained in it (Hgp) in the air in two teaching rooms in two Polish cities, Gliwice and Warsaw. The levels of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) differ greatly between these two cities. The relations between the indoor (I) and outdoor (O) 24-h concentrations for each PM1 and Hgp were determined and, based on the conclusions, an attempt was made to identify the main sources of the indoor Hgp in both cities. During the whole measuring period (April–June 2015), in both Warsaw and Gliwice, the 24-h outdoor PM1 concentrations were slightly higher than the indoor ones (outdoor and indoor averages were equal to 19.3 µg m−3 and 14.5 µg·m−3, respectively, in Gliwice and to 13.2 µg·m−3 and 9.5 µg·m−3 in Warsaw). In Gliwice, the indoor concentrations of Hgp (2.4 pg·m−3 to 27.7 pg·m−3) were much higher than the outdoor ones (1.1 pg·m−3 to 6.1 pg·m−3); in Warsaw the average concentrations of Hgp were equal to 1.4 pg m−3 indoors and outdoors. The 24-h concentrations of Hgp and the 24-h I/O ratios for Hgp varied more intensely in Gliwice than in Warsaw throughout the whole measuring period. In Warsaw, the teaching room Hgp came mainly from the infiltration of atmospheric (outdoor) Hgp. In Gliwice, a part of the indoor Hgp infiltrated into the teaching room with the outdoor PM1 that most probably was then enriched with gaseous indoor Hg, what resulted in the relatively high indoor Hgp concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects)
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4627 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Ultrafine Particles and Their Relationships with Meteorological Factors and Trace Gases in Wuhan, Central China
by Tianhao Zhang, Zhongmin Zhu, Wei Gong, Hao Xiang, Ying Li and Zhenzhen Cui
Atmosphere 2016, 7(8), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos7080096 - 23 Jul 2016
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4746
Abstract
Ultrafine particles with a diameter below 1 μm are strongly linked to traffic and industrial emissions, causing a growing global health concern. In order to reveal the characteristics of ultrafine particles in central China, which makes up the sparse research in industrial cities [...] Read more.
Ultrafine particles with a diameter below 1 μm are strongly linked to traffic and industrial emissions, causing a growing global health concern. In order to reveal the characteristics of ultrafine particles in central China, which makes up the sparse research in industrial cities of a developing country, particle number concentrations (PNC) together with meteorological parameters and concentrations of trace gases were measured over one year in Wuhan. The number concentration of ultrafine particles peaked in winter and was the lowest in summer across the entire size range monitored. Further, particles with a diameter smaller than 30 nm increased dramatically in concentration with decreasing diameter. The monthly averaged number concentrations of particles discriminated in three size ranges formed a near- inverse parabolic distribution peaking in January. This trend is supported by a negative correlation between PNC and precipitation, temperature, and mixing layer height, which emphasizes the effect of these meteorological parameters on scouring, convection, and diffusion of particles. However, since wind not only disperses particulate matter but also brings in exogenous particles, wind speed plays an equivocal role in particle number concentrations. The diurnal analysis indicates that hourly measurements of trace gases concentrations could be used as a proxy for dense industrial activities and to reveal some complex chemical reactions. The results of this study offer reasonable estimations of particle impacts and provide references for policymaking of emission control in the industrial cities of developing countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultrafine Particles: Determination, Behavior and Human Health Effects)
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