AAAR 35th Annual Conference October 17 - October 21, 2016 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
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Investigating the Links between Chemical Composition of Atmospheric Particulates and Adverse Health Effects
DOMINIQUE YOUNG, Sonya Collier, Xiaolin Sun, Haiying Wei, Kent Pinkerton, Keith Bein, Qi Zhang, University of California, Davis
Abstract Number: 131 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract The association between atmospheric particulate matter (PM) and adverse health effects, such as cardiopulmonary disease, has long been recognized, yet due to the enormous chemical complexity of PM connections between PM chemical properties and toxicological responses remain poorly understood. The goal of this project is to identify both sources and key chemical components of PM that are potentially responsible for adverse health effects through detailed analysis of PM samples. A secondary goal is to use analytical techniques that can identify markers for inflammation in a non-selective, top-down approach using a High-Resolution Time-of-Flight Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS). PM$_(2.5) filter samples collected during winter from California and China were analyzed using the AMS to determine their chemical composition. There were notable compositional differences between the two samples including organic contribution to total PM mass, degree of oxidation of the organic compounds, as well as distinct tracer ions indicating different sources of the PM. Further, Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analysis indicated differences in heavy metal content for the two samples, including higher copper abundance in the California PM. A mouse model used to investigate toxicological effects demonstrated significantly different inflammatory responses between China and California PM. The lavage fluids collected from mouse lungs after exposure were also analyzed using the AMS. Due to a large influence from background signals, the mass spectra of the lavage samples were deconvolved using Positive Matrix Factorization. There are indications that the samples from mice exposed to PM had differences in their compositions compared to the control group. Some differences between samples for mice exposed to California and China PM were also discerned. Ultimately this work will inform regulatory policy and provide much needed information for risk assessment of air quality as well as identify markers for disease outcomes with the aim of improving human health.