Chemical Oxidative Potential and Cellular Oxidative Stress from Open Biomass Burning Aerosol

Author(s)

Tuet, Wing Y. ^[1] ; Liu, Fobang ^[1] ; Alves, Nilmara de Oliveira ^[2] ; Fok, Shierly ^[1] ; Artaxo, Paulo ^[3] ; Vasconcellos, Perola ^[4] ; Champion, Julie A. ^[1] ; Ng, Nga L. ^{[1, 5]}

Affiliation

^[1] Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Chem & Biomol Engn, Atlanta, GA 30332 - USA

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Med, BR-01246903 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Phys, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Inst Chem, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] Georgia Inst Technol, Sch Earth & Atmospher Sci, Atlanta, GA 30332 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS; v. 6, n. 3, p. 126-132, MAR 2019.
• Web of Science Citations: 4

Abstract

Particulate matter (PM) exposure is a leading global human health risk. In this study, water-soluble oxidative potential (OP) and intracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) production were measured for open biomass burning aerosol collected from the Brazilian Amazon. Compared to ambient samples collected from Atlanta and laboratory-generated secondary organic aerosol (SOA), biomass burning aerosol had comparable OP and induced higher levels of ROS/RNS. Compared to regressed OP ranges for biomass burning factors resolved using source apportionment in prior studies, the samples investigated in this study spanned a wider OP range, suggesting that concentration addition may not be applicable for OP measurements. The discrepancy between ROS/RNS estimated using laboratory polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) solution mixtures and ROS/RNS measured for the water-soluble hydrophobic fraction of Amazon filter samples further supports this conclusion. These results have important implications as many previous studies are based on linear regressions that assume concentration addition. Finally, a significant correlation was observed between ROS/RNS and levoglucosan concentrations although exposure to pure solutions of levoglucosan induced negligible ROS/RNS. These results demonstrate that levoglucosan may be considered as a predictor for ROS/RNS even though concentration addition may not be an applicable mixture effect model. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/17047-0 - Aerosol and clouds life cycles in Amazonia: biogenic emissions, biomass burning and impacts on ecosystem
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 13/05014-0 - GoAmazon: interactions of the urban plume of Manaus with biogenic forest emissions in Amazonia
• Grantee: Paulo Eduardo Artaxo Netto
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants