Abstract
Greater Cairo (Egypt) is a megalopolis where the studies of the air pollution events are of extremely high relevance, for the geographical-climatological aspects, the anthropogenic emissions and the health impact. While preliminary studies on the particulate matter (PM) chemical composition in Greater Cairo have been performed, no data are yet available on the PM’s toxicity. In this work, the in vitro toxicity of the fine PM (PM2.5) sampled in an urban area of Greater Cairo during 2017–2018 was studied. The PM2.5 samples collected during spring, summer, autumn and winter were preliminary characterized to determine the concentrations of ionic species, elements and organic PM (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs). After particle extraction from filters, the cytotoxic and pro-inflammatory effects were evaluated in human lung A549 cells. The results showed that particles collected during the colder seasons mainly induced the xenobiotic metabolizing system and the consequent antioxidant and pro-inflammatory cytokine release responses. Biological events positively correlated to PAHs and metals representative of a combustion-derived pollution. PM2.5 from the warmer seasons displayed a direct effect on cell cycle progression, suggesting possible genotoxic effects. In conclusion, a correlation between the biological effects and PM2.5 physico-chemical properties in the area of study might be useful for planning future strategies aiming to improve air quality and lower health hazards.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that air pollution is the major environmental and public health risk, due to its effect on global air quality and climate
The PM2.5 samples collected during spring, summer, autumn and winter were preliminary characterized to determine the concentrations of ionic species, elements and organic particulate matter (PM) (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs)
Among all the water-soluble ions determined in the present study, SO42− was the most abundant PM2.5 chemical component of the different seasons
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that air pollution is the major environmental and public health risk, due to its effect on global air quality and climate. Greater attention should be payed to environmental pollution and its effects on human health, possibly by planning and implementing national, long-term health policies. Planning and control programs to manage air quality should be implemented to reduce air pollution and the associated adverse health effects, and obtain an improvement in public health all over the world [2,3]. One of the major air pollutants is particulate matter (PM), which contributes to acidification of precipitation and climatic change, and affects Earth’s radiation balance, agriculture, material and cultural heritages and ecosystems [4,5,6]—but is one of the most deleterious pollutants for human health
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