Acute particulate matter exposure diminishes executive cognitive functioning after four hours regardless of inhalation pathway.

Recent evidence suggests short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution can impact brain function after a delay period. It is unknown whether effects are predominantly due to the olfactory or lung-brain pathways. In this study 26 adults (M = 27.

Ice Nucleation Abilities and Chemical Characteristics of Laboratory-Generated and Aged Biomass Burning Aerosols.

Biomass burning aerosol (BBA) contributes significantly to the global aerosol burden, yet its chemical nature and ice nucleation activities (INAs) are unconstrained due to the heterogeneity in biomass sources and complex evolution of atmospheric aging processes. This study comprehensively investigates the chemical composition and INA of BBA generated through laboratory-controlled burns with different biomasses and burning conditions. Both freshly emitted and photochemically aged BBA produced from different processes exhibit distinct and reproducible chemical compositions.

The INGENIOUS project: towards understanding air pollution in homes.

This paper provides an overview of the INGENIOUS (UnderstandING the sourcEs, traNsformations and fates of IndOor air pollUtantS) project, aiming to better understand air pollution in homes. Although our homes are the microenvironment in which we spend most of our time, we know relatively little about the sources, transformation processes and fates of indoor air pollutants, or our exposure to them. INGENIOUS aims to address this knowledge gap by delivering: an indoor emissions inventory for UK homes; comprehensive air pollutant measurements in 310 homes in Bradford using a combination of low cost-sensors and more advanced air quality instrumentation; an analysis of the impact of indoor air pollution on outdoor air quality and using mobile measurements; insight into future indoor air quality using detailed air pollution models; identification of indoor air pollutants that warrant further toxicological study; and better understanding of the barriers and facilitators for behaviour that drives improved indoor air quality.

A Semi-Quantitative Approach to Nontarget Compositional Analysis of Complex Samples.

Nontarget analysis (NTA) by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry improves the capacity to comprehend the molecular composition of complex mixtures compared to targeted analysis techniques. However, the detection of unknown compounds means that quantification in NTA is challenging. This study proposes a new semi-quantitative methodology for use in the NTA of organic aerosol.