In this study, gaseous element mercury (GEM) and gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) in the atmosphere were continuously observed at a minute resolution from 1 April 2019 to 31 December 2020 in urban Xi'an, the largest central city in Northwestern China. The concentrations of GEM and GOM drastically fluctuated within the ranges of 0.022-297 ng/m and 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBioaerosols significantly influence air quality and human health. This study investigated the diversity, structure, and interaction of bacterial communities in particulate matter (PM) across four seasons in Xi'an. The results revealed that operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were the highest in autumn, reaching levels comparable to those in winter, but were 3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is recognized to induce atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. This study used ambient PM samples collected in one of the highly polluted regions of Guanzhong Plain in China (2017-2020) and an ApoE mouse model to investigate the association between exposure to PM and atherosclerosis. Despite a substantial decrease in the ambient concentration of PM from 266.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Microbiol
September 2024
Introduction: Coal represents a significant natural resource in our world, and its quality and commercial value is primarily determined by its heating capacity. Numerous scientists worldwide have attempted to explore the impact of various environmental factors on coal rank, yet their conclusions are often inconsistent.
Methods: In this study, the Illumina MiSeq sequencing approach was used to analyze the bacterial community from a low-rank coal mine as well as a high-rank mine.
Orange juice is a highly nutritious beverage. Traditional pasteurization methods cause nutrient loss and taste changes. Plasma treatment (PT) is an emerging method with a high sterilization rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNitroaromatic compounds (NACs) are important nitrogen organics in aerosol with strong light-absorbing and chemically reactive properties. In this study, NACs in six Chinese megacities, including Harbin (HB), Beijing (BJ), Xi'an (XA), Wuhan (WH), Chengdu (CD), and Guangzhou (GZ), were investigated for understanding their sources, gas-particle partitioning, and impact on BrC absorption properties. The concentrations of ΣNACs in PM in the six cities ranged from 9.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs one of the most environmental concerns, inhaled particulate matter (PM) causes numerous health problems. However, the associations between anxiety behavior and toxicity caused by PM have rarely been reported so far. To investigate the changes of behavior after PM exposure and to identify the potential mechanisms of toxicity, PM samples (with doses of 15 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg) were intratracheally instilled into rats to simulate inhalation of polluted air by the lungs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParticulate brown carbon (BrC) plays a crucial role in the global radiative balance due to its ability to absorb light. However, the effect of molecular formation on the light absorption properties of BrC remains poorly understood. In this study, atmospheric BrC samples collected from six Chinese megacities in winter and summer were characterized through ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Orbitrap MS) and light absorption measurements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in urban fugitive dust, known for their toxicity and ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), are a major public health concern. This study assessed the spatial distribution and health risks of 15 PAHs in construction dust (CD) and road dust (RD) samples collected from June to November 2021 over the cities of Tongchuan (TC), Baoji (BJ), Xianyang (XY), and Xi'an (XA) in the Guanzhong Plain, China. The average concentration of ΣPAHs in RD was 39.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWater-soluble organic molecules (WSOMs) in inhaled PM can readily translocate from the lungs into the blood circulation, facilitating their distribution to and health effects on distant organs and tissues in the human body. Human serum albumin (HSA), the most abundant protein carrier in the blood, readily binds exogenous substances to form non-covalent adducts and subsequently transports them throughout the circulatory system, thereby indicating their internal exposure. The direct internal exposure of WSOMs in PM needs to be understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
February 2024
Machine learning (ML) is an artificial intelligence technology that has been used in atmospheric pollution research due to their powerful fitting ability. In this review, 105 articles related to ML and the atmospheric pollution research are critically reviewed. Applications of ML in the prediction of atmospheric pollution (mainly particulate matters) are systematically described, including the principle of prediction, influencing factors and improvement measures.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric fine particulate matter (PM) is associated with cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality due to its ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ambient PM samples were collected during heating and nonheating seasons in Xi'an, China, and the ROS-generation potential of PM was quantified using the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. Additionally, positive matrix factorization combined with multilayer perceptron was employed to apportion sources contributing to the oxidation potential of PM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPersonal exposure (PE) to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives in particulate matter with two aerodynamic sizes of 2.5 and 0.25 μm (PM and PM) from rural housewives was studied in the Fenwei Plain, China.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives have received extensive attention due to their negative effects on the environment and on human health. However, few studies have performed comprehensive assessments of PAHs emitted from pesticide factories. This study assessed the concentration, composition, and health risk of 52 PM-bound PAHs during the daytime and nighttime in the vicinity of a typical pesticide factory.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from solid fuels combustion (e.g., biomass and coal) are still the dominant precursors for the formation of tropospheric ozone (O) and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe Fenwei Plain (FWP) in central China is the fourth largest plain nationwide. This region has experienced severe air pollution during the past decades, largely due to residential solid fuel burning. A regional-scale emission inventory covering multi-pollutants was currently unavailable for this area due to the lack of localized emission factors (EFs) from various sources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtmospheric fine particulate matter (PM) can produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which have adverse effects on health. Acidic, neutral, and highly polar water-soluble organic matter (WSOM) is an important component of ROS in organic aerosols. PM samples were collected in winter 2019 in Xi'an City to deeply explore the pollution characteristics and health risks of WSOM components with different polarity levels.
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