Climate Change and New Challenges for Rural Communities: Particulate Matter Matters.

Climate change presents multiple challenges to rural communities. Here, we investigated the toxicological potential of the six types of particulate matter most common to rural Arkansas: soil, road, and agricultural dusts, pollen, traffic exhaust, and particles from biomass burning in human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs). Biomass burning and agricultural dust demonstrated the most potent toxicological responses, exhibited as significant ( < 0.

Physicochemical Characterization of the Particulate Matter in New Jersey/New York City Area, Resulting from the Canadian Quebec Wildfires in June 2023.

The global increase in wildfires, primarily driven by climate change, significantly affects air quality and health. Wildfire-emitted particulate matter (WFPM) is linked to adverse health effects, yet the toxicological mechanisms are not fully understood given its physicochemical complexity and the lack of spatiotemporal exposure data. This study focuses on the physicochemical characterization of WFPM from a Canadian wildfire in June 2023, which affected over 100 million people in the US Northeast, particularly around New Jersey/New York.

The Need to Focus More on Climate Change Communication and Incorporate More Systems Approaches.

Society is at an inflection point-both in terms of climate change and the amount of data and computational resources currently available. Climate change has been a catastrophe in slow motion with relationships between human activity, climate change, and the resulting effects forming a complex system. However, to date, there has been a general lack of urgent responses from leaders and the general public, despite urgent warnings from the scientific community about the consequences of climate change and what can be done to mitigate it.

Association of firefighting exposures with lung function using a novel job exposure matrix (JEM).

Objectives: Characterisation of firefighters' exposures to dangerous chemicals in smoke from non-wildfire incidents, directly through personal monitoring and indirectly from work-related records, is scarce. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between smoke particle exposures (P) and pulmonary function.

Methods: The study period spanned from January 2010 through September 2021.

Childhood asthma in the Bronx, NY; the impact of pollutants on length of hospital stay.

Objective: The length of hospital stay (LOS) is a proxy of asthma exacerbation severity and healthcare cost. The study aims to estimate the effect of ambient air pollution on pediatric asthma LOS in the Bronx, NY.

Methods: A total of 1,920 children admitted to the hospital in Bronx, NY due to asthma during 2017-2019 period were included in the study.

Development of a job-exposure matrix (JEM) for exposure to smoke particle mass among firefighters of the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY).

Objectives: A refined job exposure matrix (JEM) based on incident types and severities and response characteristics was developed for firefighters to estimate quantities of smoke particles emitted during structural and non-structural fire incidents from 2010 to 2021.

Methods: The cohort included a subset of 3237 Fire Department of the City of New York firefighters who responded to at least one incident between 2010 and 2021, prior to retirement. Fire incident data included dates, type, severity (alarm level) and location.

Evidence for the coupling of refill liquids content and new particle formation in electronic cigarette vapors.

The size and chemical content of particles in electronic cigarette vapors (e-vapors) dictate their fate in the human body. Understanding how particles in e-vapors are formed and their size is critical to identifying and mitigating the adverse consequences of vaping. Thermal decomposition and reactions of the refill liquid (e-liquid) components play a key role in new particles formation.

Physicochemical and toxicological properties of wood smoke particulate matter as a function of wood species and combustion condition.

Wood burning is a major source of ambient particulate matter (PM) and has been epidemiologically linked to adverse pulmonary health effects, however the impact of fuel and burning conditions on PM properties has not been investigated systematically. Here, we employed our recently developed integrated methodology to characterize the physicochemical and biological properties of emitted PM as a function of three common hardwoods (oak, cherry, mesquite) and three representative combustion conditions (flaming, smoldering, incomplete). Differences in PM and off-gas emissions (aerosol number/mass concentrations; carbon monoxide; volatile organic compounds) as well as inorganic elemental composition and organic carbon functional content of PM were noted between wood types and combustion conditions, although the combustion scenario exerted a stronger influence on the emission profile.

Development of an Integrated Platform to Assess the Physicochemical and Toxicological Properties of Wood Combustion Particulate Matter.

Wood burning contributes to indoor and ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution and has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Here, we present an integrated methodology that allows to generate, sample, and characterize wood smoke derived from different moisture contents and representative combustion conditions using pine wood as a model. Flaming, smoldering, and incomplete combustion were assessed for low-moisture pine, whereas both low-moisture pine and high-moisture pine were investigated under flaming conditions.

The Effect of Transportation and Wildfires on the Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of PM Mass in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Declining ambient PM concentrations have been attributed to fuel consumption standards and emission controls of secondary sulfate and nitrate aerosol precursors from transportation and industrial sectors. As a result, the relative contribution of PM sources is modified, shifting PM trends, physicochemical characteristics, and health effects. Carbonaceous fine aerosol account for most of PM mass in the US.

COVID-19 Spatio-Temporal Evolution Using Deep Learning at a European Level.

COVID-19 evolution imposes significant challenges for the European healthcare system. The heterogeneous spread of the pandemic within EU regions elicited a wide range of policies, such as school closure, transport restrictions, etc. However, the implementation of these interventions is not accompanied by the implementation of quantitative methods, which would indicate their effectiveness.

On the Role of Atmospheric Weathering on Paint Dust Aerosol Generated by Mechanical Abrasion of TiO Containing Paints.

In recent years, the introduction and use of new nanomaterials in construction has increased at a rapid rate. Exterior surface paints have been a product that have had these nanomaterials added to them. In this study, the effects of natural weathering and exposure to atmospheric agents was examined to determine the detrimental effects on outdoor paint that has been created with nanomaterials.

Molecular Speciation of Size Fractionated Particulate Water-Soluble Organic Carbon by Two-Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy.

Particulate matter is associated with increased morbidity and mortality; its effects depend on particle size and chemical content. It is important to understand the composition and resultant toxicological profile of particulate organic compounds, the largest and most complex fraction of particulate matter. The objective of the study was to delineate the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectral fingerprint of the biologically relevant water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) fraction of size fractionated urban aerosol.

Characterization of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) non-exchangeable hydrogen functional types and lung function of wildland firefighters.

Inhalation of smoke is shown to be associated with adverse respiratory outcomes in firefighters. Due to invasiveness of procedures to obtain airways lining fluid, the immediate responses of the target organ (i.e.

Synergistic effects of engineered nanoparticles and organics released from laser printers using nano-enabled toners: potential health implications from exposures to the emitted organic aerosol.

Recent studies have shown that engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are incorporated into toner powder used in printing equipment and released during their use. Thus, understanding the functional and structural composition and potential synergistic effects of this complex aerosol and released gaseous co-pollutants is critical in assessing their potential toxicological implications and risks. In this study, toner powder and PEPs were thoroughly examined for functional and molecular composition of the organic fraction and the concentration profile of 16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) using state of the art analytical methods.

Characterization of paint dust aerosol generated from mechanical abrasion of TiO-containing paints.

The purpose of the study was to determine the potential for release of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in paint dust. The coatings aerosol resuspension system was developed and used for testing the generation and physical, chemical, and morphological properties of paint dust particles from mechanical abrasion (i.e.

Assessing electronic cigarette emissions: linking physico-chemical properties to product brand, e-liquid flavoring additives, operational voltage and user puffing patterns.

Users of electronic cigarettes (e-cigs) are exposed to particles and other gaseous pollutants. However, major knowledge gaps on the physico-chemical properties of such exposures and contradictory data in published literature prohibit health risk assessment. Here, the effects of product brand, type, e-liquid flavoring additives, operational voltage, and user puffing patterns on emissions were systematically assessed using a recently developed, versatile, e-cig exposure generation platform and state-of-the-art analytical methods.

Dose-response analysis of epigenetic, metabolic, and apical endpoints after short-term exposure to experimental hepatotoxicants.

Identification of sensitive and novel biomarkers or endpoints associated with toxicity and carcinogenesis is of a high priority. There is increasing interest in the incorporation of epigenetic and metabolic biomarkers to complement apical data; however, a number of questions, including the tissue specificity, dose-response patterns, early detection of those endpoints, and the added value need to be addressed. In this study, we investigated the dose-response relationship between apical, epigenetic, and metabolomics endpoints following short-term exposure to experimental hepatotoxicants, clofibrate (CF) and phenobarbital (PB).

Analysis of the Ambient Particulate Matter-induced Chromosomal Aberrations Using an In Vitro System.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is a major world health concern, which may damage various cellular components, including the nuclear genetic material. To assess the impact of PM on nuclear genetic integrity, structural chromosomal aberrations are scored in the metaphase spreads of mouse RAW264.7 macrophage cells.

Influence of ambient temperature on the heterogeneity of ambient fine particle chemical composition and disease prevalence.

In this study, we present the associations of fine particle nitrate, sulfate, and four organic carbon fractions with ambient temperature in urban and background monitoring sites in the United States for the 2011-2012 period. Nitrate concentrations increased for decreasing temperatures, while sulfate levels increased for temperatures higher than 14 °C. The profiles of organic carbon fractions for different temperatures were comparable to that observed for elemental carbon, a thermally stable and non-reactive component emitted from combustion-related sources.

Characterization of water-soluble organic matter in urban aerosol by H-NMR spectroscopy.

The functional and C isotopic compositions of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) in atmospheric aerosol were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR) and isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) in an urban location in the Southern Mississippi Valley. The origin of WSOC was resolved using the functional distribution of organic hydrogen, δC ratio, and positive matrix factorization (PMF). Three factors were retained based on NMR spectral bins loadings.

Thermal decomposition of nano-enabled thermoplastics: Possible environmental health and safety implications.

Nano-enabled products (NEPs) are currently part of our life prompting for detailed investigation of potential nano-release across their life-cycle. Particularly interesting is their end-of-life thermal decomposition scenario. Here, we examine the thermal decomposition of widely used NEPs, namely thermoplastic nanocomposites, and assess the properties of the byproducts (released aerosol and residual ash) and possible environmental health and safety implications.

In Vitro Toxicity and Epigenotoxicity of Different Types of Ambient Particulate Matter.

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) has been associated with adverse health effects, including pulmonary and cardiovascular disease. Studies indicate that ambient PM originated from different sources may cause distinct biological effects. In this study, we sought to investigate the potential of various types of PM to cause epigenetic alterations in the in vitro system.

Response of transposable elements to environmental stressors.

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise a group of repetitive sequences that bring positive, negative, as well as neutral effects to the host organism. Earlier considered as "junk DNA," TEs are now well-accepted driving forces of evolution and critical regulators of the expression of genetic information. Their activity is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, including methylation of DNA and histone modifications.