Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmospheric particulate matter have adverse effects on human health, yet total PAH concentrations should overestimate the toxicity compared to the bioavailable amount of PAHs. To explore this hypothesis, we measured PAHs oral bioavailability in vitro in particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter lower than 10 µm (PM10) using a test that mimics the human digestive system. This assay combines the use of simulated gastrointestinal fluids and a dialysis membrane to simulate intestinal absorption. Results show that oral PAH bioavailability was below 5%, with fluorene, anthracene, acenaphthene and phenanthrene as the most bioavailable PAHs. Data suggest no carcinogenic risk of oral bioavailable PM10-bound PAHs following a health risk assessment via inhalation-ingestion by using benzo(a)pyrene-equivalent carcinogenic concentration and hazard indexes. To our best knowledge, this is the first research study of in vitro oral bioavailability estimation of PM10-associated PAHs.
Highlights
Inhalation of atmospheric particulate matter represents a significant exposure pathway for humans
The annual mean PM10 concentration corresponds to 20 μg m−3, which is below the annual mean value of 40 μg m−3 set in the European Directive
The monthly average PM10 mass concentrations ranged between 17 μg m−3 (September) and 26 μg m−3 (March)
Summary
Inhalation of atmospheric particulate matter represents a significant exposure pathway for humans. Scientific community has been focused on the pollutant fraction that can be dissolved in biological fluids (i.e. bioaccessible fraction) and the fraction that diffuse across biological membranes to reach systemic circulation once dissolved (i.e. bioavailable fraction), to address a more realistic evaluation. For this purpose, different methodologies have been described in the literature to perform bioaccessibility/bioavailability estimation, distinguishing between in vivo methods and in vitro methods (using synthetic body fluids and physiological human conditions) to assess the maximum concentration of pollutant that can be dissolved
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