Toxicity of ambient particulate matter - Impact ofchemical composition, emission sources and atmospheric processes
In recent years, ambient particulate matter (PM) has been associated with several diseases but the exact mechanisms underlying PM toxicity is not yet clear. This is primarily due to complexity of PM chemical composition which often results in varied and sometimes contradictory conclusions in both cell-based and acellular investigations. Besides the heterogeneity in sources, physicochemical properties of particles are also dictated by atmospheric processes, thus making it even more difficult to predict their behavior. Therefore, research into understanding the complex relationship between PM sources, atmospheric processes, chemical composition and pathology of diseases is required to better understand health effects of PM. Several studies have been conducted in this direction, which include developing new assays and methods as well as improving existing techniques to evaluate various endpoints of toxicity; toxicological characterization of PM emissions from specific sources; investigating chemical species driving PM toxicity; and assessing spatiotemporal variations in PM toxicity. In this virtual collection, we compile articles published in AST that have contributed to further our knowledge about various aspects of PM toxicity.
Collection Image: Figure 1: Pollen contaminant in lung tissue. Courtesy Atlas of Medical Foreign Bodies. Flickr.
This image represents the theme of the collection which is primarily studying the impact of interaction between lung cells and foreign particulate matter.