1. |
- Alhamdow, Ayman, et al.
(författare)
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Low-level exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is associated with reduced lung function among Swedish young adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been linked to adverse pulmonary effects. However, the impact of low-level environmental PAH exposure on lung function in early adulthood remains uncertain. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between urinary PAH metabolites and lung function parameters in young adults. Methods: Urinary metabolites of pyrene, phenanthrene, and fluorene were analysed in 1000 young adults from Sweden (age 22–25 years) using LC-MS/MS. Lung function and eosinophilic airway inflammation were measured by spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO), respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between PAH metabolites and the outcomes. Results: Median urinary concentrations of 1-OH-pyrene, ∑OH-phenanthrene, and ∑OH-fluorene were 0.066, 0.36, 0.22 μg/L, respectively. We found inverse associations of ∑OH-phenanthrene and ∑OH-fluorene with FEV1 and FVC, as well as between 1-OH-pyrene and FEV1/FVC ratio (adjusted P < 0.05; all participants). An increase of 1% in ∑OH-fluorene was associated with a decrease of 73 mL in FEV1 and 59 mL in FVC. In addition, ∑OH-phenanthrene concentrations were, in a dose-response manner, inversely associated with FEV1 (B from −109 to −48 compared with the lowest quartile of ∑OH-phenanthrene; p trend 0.004) and FVC (B from −159 to −102 compared with lowest quartile; p-trend <0.001). Similar dose-response associations were also observed between ∑OH-fluorene and FEV1 and FVC, as well as between 1-OH-pyrene and FEV1/FVC (p-trend <0.05). There was no association between PAH exposure and FeNO, nor was there an interaction with smoking, sex, or asthma. Conclusion: Low-level PAH exposure was, in a dose-response manner, associated with reduced lung function in young adults. Our findings have public health implications due to i) the widespread occurrence of PAHs in the environment and ii) the clinical relevance of lung function in predicting all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.
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2. |
- Bendtsen, Katja Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Particle characterization and toxicity in C57BL/6 mice following instillation of five different diesel exhaust particles designed to differ in physicochemical properties
- 2020
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Ingår i: Particle and Fibre Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1743-8977. ; 17:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Diesel exhaust is carcinogenic and exposure to diesel particles cause health effects. We investigated the toxicity of diesel exhaust particles designed to have varying physicochemical properties in order to attribute health effects to specific particle characteristics. Particles from three fuel types were compared at 13% engine intake O2 concentration: MK1 ultra low sulfur diesel (DEP13) and the two renewable diesel fuels hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO13) and rapeseed methyl ester (RME13). Additionally, diesel particles from MK1 ultra low sulfur diesel were generated at 9.7% (DEP9.7) and 17% (DEP17) intake O2 concentration. We evaluated physicochemical properties and histopathological, inflammatory and genotoxic responses on day 1, 28, and 90 after single intratracheal instillation in mice compared to reference diesel particles and carbon black. RESULTS: Moderate variations were seen in physical properties for the five particles: primary particle diameter: 15-22 nm, specific surface area: 152-222 m2/g, and count median mobility diameter: 55-103 nm. Larger differences were found in chemical composition: organic carbon/total carbon ratio (0.12-0.60), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content (1-27 μg/mg) and acid-extractable metal content (0.9-16 μg/mg). Intratracheal exposure to all five particles induced similar toxicological responses, with different potency. Lung particle retention was observed in DEP13 and HVO13 exposed mice on day 28 post-exposure, with less retention for the other fuel types. RME exposure induced limited response whereas the remaining particles induced dose-dependent inflammation and acute phase response on day 1. DEP13 induced acute phase response on day 28 and inflammation on day 90. DNA strand break levels were not increased as compared to vehicle, but were increased in lung and liver compared to blank filter extraction control. Neutrophil influx on day 1 correlated best with estimated deposited surface area, but also with elemental carbon, organic carbon and PAHs. DNA strand break levels in lung on day 28 and in liver on day 90 correlated with acellular particle-induced ROS. CONCLUSIONS: We studied diesel exhaust particles designed to differ in physicochemical properties. Our study highlights specific surface area, elemental carbon content, PAHs and ROS-generating potential as physicochemical predictors of diesel particle toxicity.
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3. |
- Carvalho, Raquel N., et al.
(författare)
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Mixtures of chemical pollutants at European legislation safety concentrations : how safe are they?
- 2014
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Ingår i: Toxicological Sciences. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1096-6080 .- 1096-0929. ; 141:1, s. 218-233
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The risk posed by complex chemical mixtures in the environment to wildlife and humans is increasingly debated, but has been rarely tested under environmentally relevant scenarios. To address this issue, two mixtures of 14 or 19 substances of concern (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, a surfactant, and a plasticizer), each present at its safety limit concentration imposed by the European legislation, were prepared and tested for their toxic effects. The effects of the mixtures were assessed in 35 bioassays, based on 11 organisms representing different trophic levels. A consortium of 16 laboratories was involved in performing the bioassays. The mixtures elicited quantifiable toxic effects on some of the test systems employed, including i) changes in marine microbial composition, ii) microalgae toxicity, iii) immobilization in the crustacean Daphnia magna, iv) fish embryo toxicity, v) impaired frog embryo development, and vi) increased expression on oxidative stress-linked reporter genes. Estrogenic activity close to regulatory safety limit concentrations was uncovered by receptor-binding assays. The results highlight the need of precautionary actions on the assessment of chemical mixtures even in cases where individual toxicants are present at seemingly harmless concentrations.
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4. |
- Gren, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of renewable fuels and intake O2 concentration on diesel engine emission characteristics and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Atmosphere. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4433. ; 11:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Renewable diesel fuels have the potential to reduce net CO2 emissions, and simultaneously decrease particulate matter (PM) emissions. This study characterized engine-out PM emissions and PM-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation potential. Emissions from a modern heavy-duty diesel engine without external aftertreatment devices, and fueled with petroleum diesel, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) or rapeseed methyl ester (RME) biodiesel were studied. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) allowed us to probe the effect of air intake O2 concentration, and thereby combustion temperature, on emissions and ROS formation potential. An increasing level of EGR (decreasing O2 concentration) resulted in a general increase of equivalent black carbon (eBC) emissions and decrease of NOx emissions. At a medium level of EGR (13% intake O2), eBC emissions were reduced for HVO and RME by 30 and 54% respectively compared to petroleum diesel. In general, substantially lower emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including nitro and oxy-PAHs, were observed for RME compared to both HVO and diesel. At low-temperature combustion (LTC, O2 < 10%), CO and hydrocarbon gas emissions increased and an increased fraction of refractory organic carbon and PAHs were found in the particle phase. These altered soot properties have implications for the design of aftertreatment systems and diesel PM measurements with optical techniques. The ROS formation potential per mass of particles increased with increasing engine O2 concentration intake. We hypothesize that this is because soot surface properties evolve with the combustion temperature and become more active as the soot matures into refractory BC, and secondly as the soot surface becomes altered by surface oxidation. At 13% intake O2, the ROS-producing ability was high and of similar magnitude per mass for all fuels. When normalizing by energy output, the lowered emissions for the renewable fuels led to a reduced ROS formation potential.
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5. |
- Rothmann, Monika Hezareh, et al.
(författare)
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Genotoxicity by rapeseed methyl ester and hydrogenated vegetable oil combustion exhaust products in lung epithelial (A549) cells
- 2023
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Ingår i: Mutagenesis. - 0267-8357. ; 38:4, s. 238-249
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biofuel is an attractive substitute for petrodiesel because of its lower environmental footprint. For instance, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) emission per fuel energy content is lower for rapeseed methyl ester (RME) than for petrodiesel. The present study assesses genotoxicity by extractable organic matter (EOM) of exhaust particles from combustion of petrodiesel, RME and hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) in lung epithelial (A549) cells. Genotoxicity was assessed as DNA strand breaks by the alkaline comet assay. EOM from combustion of petrodiesel and RME generated the same level of DNA strand breaks based on equal concentration of total PAH (i.e. net increases of 0.13 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.002, 0.259 and 0.12 [95% CI: 0.01, 0.24] lesions per million base pairs, respectively). In comparison, the positive control (etoposide) generated much higher level of DNA strand breaks (i.e. 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72, 0.97) lesions per million base pairs). Relatively low concentrations of EOM from RME and HVO combustion particles (<116 ng/ml total PAH) did not cause DNA strand breaks in A549 cells, whereas benzo[a]pyrene and PAH-rich EOM from petrodiesel combusted using low oxygen inlet concentration were genotoxic. The genotoxicity was attributed to high molecular weight PAH isomers with 5-6 rings. In summary, the results show that EOM from combustion of petrodiesel and RME generate the same level of DNA strand breaks on equal total PAH basis. However, the genotoxic hazard of engine exhaust from on-road vehicles is lower for RME than petrodiesel because of lower PAH emission per fuel energy content.
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6. |
- Scholten, Rebecca Harnung, et al.
(författare)
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Inhalation of hydrogenated vegetable oil combustion exhaust and genotoxicity responses in humans
- 2021
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Ingår i: Archives of Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0340-5761 .- 1432-0738. ; 95:10, s. 3407-3416
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biofuels from vegetable oils or animal fats are considered to be more sustainable than petroleum-derived diesel fuel. In this study, we have assessed the effect of hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) exhaust on levels of DNA damage in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as primary outcome, and oxidative stress and inflammation as mediators of genotoxicity. In a randomized cross-over study, healthy humans were exposed to filtered air, inorganic salt particles, exhausts from combustion of HVO in engines with aftertreatment [i.e. emission with nitrogen oxides and low amounts of particulate matter less than 2.5 µm (approximately 1 µg/m3)], or without aftertreatment (i.e. emission with nitrogen oxides and 93 ± 13 µg/m3 of PM2.5). The subjects were exposed for 3 h and blood samples were collected before, within 1 h after the exposure and 24 h after. None of the exposures caused generation of DNA strand breaks and oxidatively damaged DNA, or affected gene expression of factors related to DNA repair (Ogg1), antioxidant defense (Hmox1) or pro-inflammatory cytokines (Ccl2, Il8 and Tnfa) in PBMCs. The results from this study indicate that short-term HVO exhaust exposure is not associated with genotoxic hazard in humans.
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