In vitro effects of water-soluble metals present in UK particulate matter.

The water-soluble metal content of 1950s London smogs and modern particulate matter (PM) are associated with adverse health effects. This study aimed to elucidate the bioreactivity of these metals alone and in mixtures and to investigate the comparative bioreactivities of a surrogate mixture and a PM sample. These revealed similar bioreactivities.

Characterisation of aerosol particulate matter from urban and industrial environments: examples from Cardiff and Port Talbot, South Wales, UK.

A high-volume cascade impact collector (1100 l/min air flow) was used to collect air samples in an industrial (Port Talbot) and an urban (Cardiff) site with the purpose of characterising both coarse (PM(10-2.5)) and fine (PM(2.5)) fractions comprising the total sample.

Montserrat volcanic ash induces lymph node granuloma and delayed lung inflammation.

Objectives: A substantial amount of Montserrat volcanic ash, containing up to 24% of cristobalite (w/w), a fibrogenic crystalline silica, has been generated since the first documented eruption in 1995. The bioreactivity of the ash and its two major components: cristobalite and anorthite have been studied in vivo for a year following intratracheal instillation into rats.

Methods: The rats (n=5) were instilled with a sterile vehicle solution (0.

The collection of PM10 for toxicological investigation: comparisons between different collecting devices.

A positive correlation has been established between increased levels of airborne particulate pollution and adverse health effects, the toxicological mechanisms of which are poorly understood. For toxicologists to unambiguously determine these mechanisms, truly representative samples of ambient PM10 are required. This presents problems, as PM10 collecting equipment commonly employed, such as the Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance (TEOM), heat the inflow to exclude moisture or use fibrous filters, resulting in a PM10 sample that may have undergone significant chemical change on the filter surface or is contaminated by filter fibres.

Particle-induced oxidative damage is ameliorated by pulmonary antioxidants.

This investigation focuses on the application of an in vitro assay in elucidating the role of lung lining fluid antioxidants in the protection against inhaled particles, and to investigate the source of bioreactivity in urban PM10 collections from South Wales. The Plasmid Assay is an in vitro method of assessing and comparing the oxidative bioreactivity of inhalable particles. This method has provided the basis of limited toxicological studies into various inhaled xenobiotics including asbestos, and more recently PM10.