Effect of chemical composition on the induction of DNA damage by urban airborne particulate matter.

Airborne particulate matter (PM) contains a large number of genotoxic substances capable of endangering human health. In the present study, we have investigated the ability of chemically characterized water-soluble and organic-soluble fractions of two particle sizes (PM2.5 and PM10) from different regions of Mexico City to induce DNA damage in a human lung epithelial cell line.