Mapping air pollution by biological monitoring in the metropolitan Tel Aviv area

Abstract

Conventional environmental monitoring is not surrogate of personal exposure. In contrast, biomonitoring provides information on the presence of substances in the human body, making it highly relevant to the assessment of exposure to toxic substances. Induced sputum (IS) is a noninvasive technique for detecting inflammation and reflecting particulate matter content in the airways. In this study, we mapped particulate matter dispersion in metropolitan Tel Aviv by both biomonitoring techniques employing IS samples and by environmental monitoring. All adults referred to the Pulmonary Lab for respiratory symptom evaluation in 2007 and in 2009 were enrolled. Pulmonary function tests were performed by conventional methods. Particulate size distribution in IS was analyzed, and maps of air pollution were created. Biomonitoring was more informative and enabled mapping of wider areas. Integration of biomonitoring and environmental monitoring should be considered in forming public health policy on containment of airborne particles of toxic substances.

Keywords:

• personal exposure
• biological monitoring
• monitoring urban air pollution

Acknowledgements

Aya Lavi and Elizabeth Fireman conceived and designed the experiments; Aya Lavi performed the experiments; Oded Pochter and Itzhak Omer reviewed the paper; and Aya Lavi wrote the paper. Esther Eshkol, MA, institutional medical and scientific copyeditor, is thanked for editorial assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.