The cytotoxicities induced by PM 10 and particle-bound water-soluble species

Abstract

A 1-year field sampling of PM 10 was performed at a town that usually has the worst air quality in Taiwan to examine if PM 10 is a good indicator for pollutant-induced cytotoxicity. The average PM 10 concentration in summer was the lowest, while the other three seasons did not show statistical difference in their PM 10 means. The pollutant-induced cytotoxicity presented as the cumene-hydroperoxide equivalent concentration (CEC) was found to positively correlate with PM 10 concentrations and this study yielded a yearly average of the seasonal CEC 12.±8.54 μM with the magnitudes in sequence for the four seasons as: fall>winter>spring>summer. Positive relationship was also found between seasonal PM 10 and their corresponding CECs. The exponential regression model obtained from this study shows: CEC=3.305exp(0.0118PM 10) ( R 2=0.634). The CEC correlates more significantly with NO 3 −, SO 4 2−, NH 4 + and Cl − (secondary aerosol species) than with the Na +, K +, Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ (crust-related species) in PM 10. However, the best multivariable model obtained from this study to relate CEC with the concentrations of PM 10-bearing water-soluble species shows: CEC=exp(1.4751+0.0470[SO 4 2−]+0.0143[NO 3 −]) ( R 2=0.550).