10th International Aerosol Conference September 2 - September 7, 2018 America's Center Convention Complex St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Abstract View
Atmospheric Evolution of Biomass Burning Organic Aerosol: Implications to Oxidative Potential
JENNY P.S. WONG, Maria Tsagaraki, Irini Tsiodra, Nikolaos Mihalopoulos, Kalloipi Violaki, Maria Kanakidou, Athanasios Nenes, Rodney J. Weber, Georgia Institute of Technology
Abstract Number: 1020 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract Oxidative stress, an imbalance of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production and antioxidant defenses, is one of the proposed toxicology mechanism underlying the adverse health effects associated with aerosol inhalation. While there are growing research efforts to characterize the oxidative potential (ability to generate ROS) of aerosols from different sources, less attention have been paid to assess whether the oxidative potential of aerosols evolve throughout atmospheric transport. Through a combination of field observations and targeted laboratory studies, the objective of this work is to investigate whether atmospheric aging processes can transform the oxidative potential of biomass burning organic aerosols (BBOA). Analysis of ambient filter samples collected in Crete, Greece, during the fire seasons of 2016 and 2017, suggests that the oxidative potential of BBOA was quickly transformed in the atmosphere, on the timescale of hours. To better understand which atmospheric aging processes are responsible for these ambient observations, the effect of various chemical aging processes (oxidation by OH and photolysis) on the oxidative potential of BBOA are systematically investigated in the laboratory. Collectively, results suggest that certain toxic chemical components may be long-lived in BBOA and likely an important contributor to the toxicity of ambient aerosols on a regional scale.