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Characterization of Urban Atmospheres during Inhalation Exposure Studies in Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan
1 Air Quality Laboratory, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA Correspondence: Address correspondence to: Gerald J. Keeler, 109 South Observatory, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029; e-mail:jkeeler{at}umich.edu
An inhalation exposure study for particulate matter (PM) investigates links between exposure and observed changes in respiratory function by evaluating the interactions of chemical and physical properties of the PM with physiological mechanisms. Laboratory studies are useful in this regard, but provide limited information because of the difficulty in reproducing real atmospheric PM compositions and processes. To better understand the types of particles to which people are actually exposed in their daily lives, and the human health risks for source-specific PM, a real world assessment of the source-to-receptor pathways for ambient PM is vital. This was accomplished using a unique mobile air research laboratory (AirCARE1) which enables inhalation exposure studies in real-world settings. The overall goal of this study was to determine the effects of concentrated air particulates (CAPs) from 2 different urban atmospheres in Michigan on the lungs of ovalbumin-sensitized rats concurrently challenged with the allergen. Our work demonstrated that short-term (8 hours) exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (aerodynamic diameter 2.5 µm; PM2.5) concentrated from 2 different urban atmospheres in Michigan induced distinct allergic responses in the lungs of rats. This paper presents detailed characterization of CAPs and their sources in an effort to define possible associations between the observed health effects and source-specific ambient PM2.5.
Key Words: PM2.5 CAPs (concentrated ambient particulates) inhalation exposure complex mixtures
Particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is a complex mixture of pollutants that varies in chemical composition and size distribution, as well as in space and time as a result of the dynamic interactions among source type, source strength, sinks, and meteorology. In order to understand atmospheric properties of PM, human exposure, and ultimately its health effects, continuous and comprehensive monitoring of the physicochemical characteristics of PM and its co-pollutants is essential. Several toxicological studies have employed a particle concentrator for concentrating respirable particles from ambient air for delivery to a controlled environment chamber to conduct inhalation studies (Sioutas et al., 1995; Clarke et al., 2000; Godleski et al., 2000; Saldiva et al., 2002; Daigle et al., 2003; Harkema et al., 2004). These inhalation exposure studies utilized concentrated ambient particles (CAPs), generated from actual atmospheric particles, to understand the linkages between characteristics of PM, the resulting toxicity and the underlying mechanisms. Our investigation has attempted to assess complete the source-receptor-health continuum of anthropogenic particles from a variety of high-temperature combustion sources in complex urban air sheds such as Detroit. Our research employed detailed characterization of ambient PM concurrent with inhalation toxicology studies using animal models and CAPs. The detailed characterization of ambient PM2.5 is essential for identification of PM2.5 sources by using receptor modeling and subsequently for developing emissions control strategies. AirCARE1, a mobile air research laboratory, was moved to 2 different urban air sheds for inhalation toxicology studies. The first location is a southwest Detroit community where impacts of several local combustion sources are strong in addition to transported pollution. The second is a Grand Rapids community where the PM mixture is characterized by a large contribution from transported, aged pollution from regional sources. The study presented here was designed to determine the effects of CAPs from 2 different urban atmospheres in Michigan on the lungs of ovalbumin-sensitized rats concurrently challenged with the allergen. The results showed disparate biological effects between the 2 sites despite very similar mass concentration of CAPs. This paper focuses on presenting detailed characterization of CAPs and their sources in an effort to define possible associations between the observed health effects and source-specific ambient PM2.5.
Site Description Each 8-hour exposure study in Detroit and Grand Rapids, MI was conducted on 29 July 2002 and 11 August 2003, respectively. Figure 1 is a map of Michigan showing the location of the two sampling sites and major point emission sources for PM2.5 (EPA, 1999a). Furthermore, an enlarged map of metropolitan Detroit shows some of major industries in Wayne County that were ranked as one of top 15 PM2.5 point sources in 1999 (EPA, 1999a). In Detroit, the densest industrial activity in the city is located in southwest area and includes iron-steel manufacturing, coke ovens, chemical plants, refineries, sewage sludge incineration, and coal-fired utilities (Keeler et al., 2002). In addition, southwest Detroit experiences heavy motor vehicle traffic, both passenger car and diesel truck traffic, due to its proximity to major interstates and the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge.
Relative to Detroit, western Michigan frequently experiences elevated levels of transported secondary air pollutants that are generated from precursor emission sources in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Canada. These pollutants are transported and chemically react as they move across Lake Michigan or move from Ohio River Valley into Michigan. Our second sampling location was located in Grand Rapids, which is Michigans second largest city.
Inhalation Exposure Studies
Animals
Allergen Sensitization/Challenge Protocol
CAPs Inhalation Exposure
Tissue Collection and Analysis
Measurements of CAPs
Urban Ambient Aerosol and Gaseous Pollutant Measurements
Analytical Methods
Gravimetric Analysis
Organic and Elemental Carbon
Major Ions and Acid Aerosol
Trace Element Analysis
CAPs-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation Exposure nonallergic rats to CAPs had no effect on airway inflammatory markers of total protein and total cells recovered in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid (Figures 2A and 2B). Sensitization and challenge of rats with OVA-induced inflammatory and allergic airway responses as indicated by significant increases of BAL protein and cellularity. These allergic airway responses were attenuated by exposure to Grand Rapids CAPs. By comparison, exposure of allergic rats to Detroit CAPs produced a consistent, yet nonsignificant trend toward increased protein and total cells compared to allergic rats exposed to filtered air. As a result, more detailed comparisons of the physicochemical composition of CAPs and source identification were pursued in order to identify critical differences in air quality for these 2 exposure periods that might explain the disparate biological effects.
Physical and Chemical Characterization of CAPs CAPs Mass Concentration During the exposure periods, the concentrator performance was examined carefully for each exposure period to make sure that the CAPs to which the laboratory animals were exposed in the inhalation chamber reflected a complicated mixture of ambient PM2.5, and the evaluation of the concentrator performance was described in detail (Lawrence et al., 2004; Keeler et al., 2005). The average mass concentration of CAPs during the 8-hour exposure period in Detroit and Grand Rapids were 542 µg/m3 and 519 µg/m3, respectively. Although the mass concentrations of CAPs were very similar, detailed physical and chemical characterizations of CAPs between the Detroit and Grand Rapids sampling sites revealed significant differences as expected.
CAPs Size Distribution
CAPs Chemical Composition Figure 4 illustrates a comparison of major chemical composition of the CAPs measured during the 8-hour inhalation exposure periods in Detroit and Grand Rapids. The major chemical composition in Detroit was dominated by sulfates, whereas Grand Rapids had major contributions from organic carbon. Table 1 shows total and elemental mass concentrations of CAPs during 8-hour exposure periods in Detroit and Grand Rapids. Elemental concentrations of the 2 sites also revealed distinct differences. The concentrations of La, Pb, V, and Se in Detroit were 1.8, 2.2, 3.5, and 2.3 times higher, respectively, than those in Grand Rapids. In contrast, the concentrations of Ba, Ca, Mn, and Cu in Grand Rapids were 3.6, 1.5, 2.2, and 3.6 times higher, respectively than those in Detroit.
Sources of CAPs In an effort to identify differences in air quality that might explain the disparate biological effects, a next step was to figure out the nature of PM2.5 emission sources at each site from the measured ambient and CAPs chemical concentration data. Receptor modeling has been widely used to apportion the measured aerosol of chemical concentration at a sampling site to their sources (Hopke, 1991; Kim et al., 2001). A Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model (Paatero and Tapper, 1994) was used to determine the major emission sources that contributed to ambient PM2.5 levels in southwest Detroit, and the results have been described in detail (Morishita et al., 2006). Although describing detailed results from the PMF analysis is not the scope of this paper, the PMF results indicated that 6 major sources including coal/secondary sulfate aerosol, motor vehicle/urban road dust, municipal waste incinerators, oil combustion/refineries, sewage sludge incinerators, and iron/steel manufacturing contributed to the observed ambient PM2.5 mass in southwest Detroit during the summer campaigns. These sources accounted for most of ambient PM2.5 measured in the southwest Detroit community during the exposure period on 29 July 2002 (Figure 5).
Meteorological data also supported our findings of the receptor modeling. Winds in Detroit were predominantly from the southwest during the 8-hour exposure period. Southwesterly winds in Detroit placed our exposure site directly downwind from several major point sources such as refineries, power plants, and steel industries (Figures 1 and 6). These data confirm the likely scenario that the study site was impacted by emissions from the identifiable local industrial sources during the Detroit exposure period.
Although the receptor modeling for the Grand Rapids site has not been completed due to insufficient sample size, continuous pollutant measurements and characterization of CAPs and meteorological parameters have still enabled source identification. Figure 7 shows the temporal variation of ultrafine particle number, CO, NOx, and SO2 concentrations measured at the Grand Rapids site. The elevated ultrafine number, CO, NOx, and SO2 levels observed about 0800 EDT was likely to be the result of the morning rush hour traffic. In the early morning, the boundary layer depth is generally shallow due to the nocturnal inversion layer causing pollutants to be trapped closer to the ground. Dominant wind direction at the Grand Rapids site during the 8-hour exposure period was predominantly from the north. Northern winds placed our exposure site directly downwind from heavily trafficked roads in Grand Rapids, which also supports impacts from the morning rush hour traffic. As surface heating increased shortly after sunrise, the nocturnal inversion layer broke up due to intense vertical mixing, allowing the pollutants to disperse. Later in the day no other significant peaks in the ultrafine number and gaseous pollutant concentrations were observed.
Despite similar mass concentrations in CAPs in Detroit and Grand Rapids (542 vs 519 µg/m3), we document disparate effects of allergic responses in laboratory animals during the 2 exposures. In Grand Rapids, CAPs clearly blunted airway allergic responses, whereas in Detroit these same endpoints were unaffected and even showed a mild, albeit insignificant, increase in response to CAPs exposure. Other parameters of allergic responses in these animals, such as eosinophils and mucous cell metaplasia were significantly enhanced by Detroit CAPs, but inhibited by Grand Rapids CAPs (Wagner et al., 2006). Because these divergent responses were independent of CAPs mass, then some specific chemical characteristics of the exposure aerosols are responsible for the enhancement (Detroit) vs. inhibition (Grand Rapids) that we have documented. As described in detail here, 2 readily distinguished markers between the exposures are sulfate (Detroit) and OC (Grand Rapids). As expected, the sulfate contribution in southwest Detroit was substantial during the summer months. During the exposure period in Detroit, the predominant southerly wind, associated with a high-pressure system over the Ohio valley, brought humid air masses and increased levels of the transported or secondary particles dominated by sulfate. In addition to secondary/transported sulfate, elevated anthropogenic metal concentrations including V, Pb, and Se, and meteorological conditions confirmed the likely scenario that the study site was impacted by emissions from the identifiable local industrial sources that were located several miles southwest of our exposure study location. These results from physical and chemical characterization of PM2.5 suggest that nearby emissions from an identified industrial complex in southwest Detroit was likely to have caused the observed trend of enhancement of allergic responses. These results are consistent with previous findings that metal composition of ambient PM2.5 is likely to have influenced the severity of allergic respiratory disease (Carter et al., 1997; Gavett et al., 2003; Morishita et al., 2004) and that specific metals particles such as V from combustion emission sources might be associated with the negative health impacts of ambient PM2.5 (Fernandez et al., 2003; Riley et al., 2003). In contrast, the dominant wind direction during the 8-hour exposure period in Grand Rapids was northerly, which brought relatively clean air from the north since there are few major emission sources in the direction. Temporal variations of gaseous pollutants and ultrafine particle number concentration revealed strong impact from the traffic in the morning. These distinct differences in emission sources that have impacted the sites reflected on the elemental chemical composition of CAPs during the exposure period. Another critical difference between the Detroit and Grand Rapids exposures is that the CAPs mass fraction of the ultrafine mode in Detroit exposure period was more than twice as high as the one in Grand Rapids. The result implicates impacts from local combustion sources in Detroit have stronger impacts than in Grand Rapids. Although the mass fraction of the ultrafine mode is negligible, this size range contains the highest number of ambient particles as well as the highest total surface area. An increasing number of toxicological and epidemiological studies has linked respiratory health effects and exposures to ultrafine particles (Oberdoerster et al., 1995; Peters et al., 1997). More specifically, several studies demonstrated a stronger association between health effects and exposures to ultrafine particles compared to accumulation mode or coarse particles (Peters et al., 1997; Spurny, 1998). A recent study by Li et al. (2003) indicated that ultrafine PM induced more oxidative stress, compared to concurrently collected accumulation and coarse-mode PM. These distinct differences in physicochemical characteristics of PM between the 2 sites caused the distinct observed allergic responses. Although discussion of the detailed molecular and pathological responses is beyond scope of the study, our results provide a toxicological and atmospheric linkage to describe the potential adverse health effects of ambient PM2.5 in different urban communities. Taken together, the studies described here enabled us to identify potential source-to-receptor pathways for PM2.5 and co-pollutants from local combustion sources in a southwest Detroit community, and from local traffic sources in Grand Rapids. These results support the concept that pulmonary injury is more closely associated with the physical and chemical composition, rather than mass concentration, of ambient PM2.5. Future studies are in progress to assess the molecular and pathological responses to air particulates, and to determine source-specific toxicological responses from ambient PM2.5 exposures. Ongoing studies utilize higher time-resolved exposure methods to determine source-specific toxicological responses from ambient PM2.5, and to improve our apportionment of source emissions and inhalation exposure health effects. Further analysis of PM2.5 samples from additional cities with different levels of allergy and asthma will help clarify the relationship between the composition of PM2.5 and the prevalence and severity of allergic airways disease.
The work presented here was funded by grants from the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor and Health Effects Institute. We gratefully acknowledge the field efforts of Jim Barres, Emily Christianson, Tim Dvonch, Lynne Gratz, Ali Kamal, Bian Liu, Sheryl Kennedy, Mary Lynam, Frank Marsik, Ed Timm, Fuyuen Yip, and Li-Hao Young. We also thank Ellen Snedeker of Maybury Elementary School for her support at the study location in Detroit and Calvin College for their support at the study location in Grand Rapids.
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Toxicologic Pathology, Vol. 35, No. 1,
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2.5 µm; PM2.5) concentrated from 2 different urban atmospheres in Michigan induced distinct allergic responses in the lungs of rats. This paper presents detailed characterization of CAPs and their sources in an effort to define possible associations between the observed health effects and source-specific ambient PM2.5. 






