Trends of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Levels and Mutagenicity in Santiago's Inhalable Airborne Particles in the Period 1992?1996

Abstract

Trends of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs) for 1992-1996 ( cold season) andtheir mutagenic activity were investigated in organic extracts from the Santiago, Chile, inhalable particles ( PM 10 ) . The highest PAH concentrations were observed in 1992 and declined dramatically in the following years. During this period, total PAHs decreased 85% , carcinogenic PAHs 82% , and benzo[a]pyrene, the most potent carcinogen, 85%. In spite of this significant decrease, PAH levels in respirable particles were higher than those reported in recent studies in Australia, Europe, and the United States. PAH profiles were analyzed by principal component ( PC) analysis and Pearson correlation analysis. PC1 represents 71% of the variance, suggesting that most PAHs might originate predominantly from one main generic source. Higher correlations were obtained for the major carcinogenic PAHs. Most of the samples assayed were highly mutagenic to Salmonella typhimurium both in the presence and in the absence of metabolic activation system ( S9), especially in the coarse fraction, but direct mutagenicity did not decline significantly. Incubation of calf thymus DNA with organic extracts from particulate matter and xanthine oxidase allowed the detection of five nitro-PAH-DNA adducts. Thus, nitroarenes might play an important role in the mutagenic activity of inhalable particles in Santiago, representing a high risk for human health.

Partitioning of the water soluble versus insoluble fraction of trace elements in the city of Santiago, Chile

“…Particulate matter may arise from different natural and anthropogenic sources, and its chemical composition is usually well connected with its origin. A number of studies have been published on the chemical composition of particulate matter in Santiago (Prendez et al, 1984;Didyk et al, 2000;Gil et al, 2000;Jorquera 2002; Koutrakis et al, 2005;Gramsch et al, 2006Gramsch et al, , 2009, and specific ones on the elemental chemical composition of PM 10 (Artaxo et al, 1999;Richter et al, 2007;Sax et al, 2007). The fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) of Santiago has a predominance of secondary organic and inorganic aerosols, reaching up to 60% (Seguel et al, 2009).…”

Identification of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in unleaded petrol and diesel exhaust emission

“…It is well established that PAHs and their derivatives represent a potential risk to human health (International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) 1983(IARC) , 1989IPCS EHC 1998). More than 100 PAHs have been identified in airborne particulate matter, and many of them are found with greater frequency in the air of cities with high levels of atmospheric pollution (Adonis and Gil 2000a, b;Gil et al 2000;Kuo et al 1998;Minoia et al 1997;Monaraca et al 1997). It is estimated that many of the toxic components present in respirable particles are emitted by diesel motors (Bunger et al 1998;Fromme et al 1998;Gil and Adonis 1996;Hayakawa et al 1997;Rosenkranz 1996).…”