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- Andersen, Christina, et al.
(författare)
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Emissions of soot, PAHs, ultrafine particles, NOx, and other health relevant compounds from stressed burning of candles in indoor air
- 2021
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Ingår i: Indoor Air. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 31:6, s. 2033-2048
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Burning candles release a variety of pollutants to indoor air, some of which are of concern for human health. We studied emissions of particles and gases from the stressed burning of five types of pillar candles with different wax and wick compositions. The stressed burning was introduced by controlled fluctuating air velocities in a 21.6 m3 laboratory chamber. The aerosol physicochemical properties were measured both in well-mixed chamber air and directly above the candle flame with online and offline techniques. All candles showed different emission profiles over time with high repeatability among replicates. The particle mass emissions from stressed burning for all candle types were dominated by soot (black carbon; BC). The wax and wick composition strongly influenced emissions of BC, PM2.5 , and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and to lower degree ultrafine particles, inorganic and organic carbon fraction of PM, but did not influence NOx , formaldehyde, and gas-phase PAHs. Measurements directly above the flame showed empirical evidence of short-lived strong emission peaks of soot particles. The results show the importance of including the entire burn time of candles in exposure assessments, as their emissions can vary strongly over time. Preventing stressed burning of candles can reduce exposure to pollutants in indoor air.
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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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4. |
- Eriksson, Axel Christian, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of airborne particles' chemical composition on SVOC uptake from PVC flooring - time resolved analysis with aerosol mass spectrometry
- 2020
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Ingår i: Environmental Science & Technology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-5851 .- 0013-936X. ; , s. 85-91
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We sampled ammonium sulfate particles and indoor particles of outdoor origin through a small chamber covered with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) flooring. We measured the uptake of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOC) by the airborne particles in real time. The particles acquired SVOC mass fractions up to 10%. The phthalate ester DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate), a known endocrine disruptor, contributed by approximately half of the sorbed SVOC mass. The indoor particles acquired higher DEHP fraction than laboratory generated ammonium sulfate aerosol. We attribute this increased uptake to absorption by organic matter present in the indoor particles. Using a thermodenuder to remove volatile components, predominantly organics, reduced SVOC uptake. Positive matrix factorization applied to the organic mass spectra suggests that hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (typically fresh traffic exhaust) sorbs DEHP more efficiently than aged organic aerosol. SVOC uptake is one of the processes that modifies outdoor pollution particles after they penetrate buildings, where the majority of exposure occurs. Particles from indoor sources, typically dominated by organic matter, will undergo such processes as well. Aerosol mass spectrometry improves the time resolution of experimental investigations into these processes, and enables experiments with lower, relevant particle concentrations. Additionally, particle size resolved results are readily obtained.
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6. |
- Falk, John, et al.
(författare)
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Immersion freezing ability of freshly emitted soot with various physico-chemical characteristics
- 2021
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Ingår i: Atmosphere. - : MDPI AG. - 2073-4433. ; 12:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The immersion freezing ability of soot particles has in previous studies been reported in the range of low/insignificant to very high. The aims of this study were to: (i) perform detailed physico-chemical characterisation of freshly produced soot particles with very different properties, (ii) investigate the immersion freezing ability of the same particles, and (iii) investigate the potential links between physico-chemical particle properties and ice-activity. A miniCAST soot generator was used to produce eight different soot samples representing a wide range of physico-chemical properties. A continuous flow diffusion chamber was used to study each sample online in immersion mode over the temperature (T) range from −41 to −32◦C, at a supersaturation of about 10% with respect to liquid water. All samples exhibited low to no heterogeneous immersion freezing. The most active sample reached ice-activated fractions (AF) of 10−3 and 10−4 at temperatures of 1.7 and 1.9 K, respectively, above the homogeneous freezing temperature. The samples were characterized online with respect to a wide range of physico-chemical properties including effective particle density, optical properties, particle surface oxidation and soot maturity. We did observe indications of increasing immersion freezing ice-activity with increasing effective particle density and increasing particulate PAH fraction . Hence, those properties, or other properties co-varying with those, could potentially enhance the immersion freezing ice-activity of the studied soot particle types. However, we found no significant correlation between the physico-chemical properties and the observed ice-nucleating ability when the particle ensemble was extended to include previously published results including more ice-active biomass combustion soot particles. We conclude that it does not appear possible in general and in any straightforward way to link observed soot particle physico-chemical properties to the ice-nucleating ability using the online instrumentation included in this study. Furthermore, our observations support that freshly produced soot particles with a wide range of physico-chemical properties have low to insignificant immersion freezing ice-nucleating ability.
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7. |
- 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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8. |
- Gren, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of renewable fuel and exhaust aftertreatment on primary and secondary emissions from a modern heavy-duty diesel engine
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Aerosol Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-8502. ; 156
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Compared to petroleum diesel, renewable diesel fuels and exhaust aftertreatment systems can reduce primary exhaust emissions that are hazardous to human health and the environment. Secondary aerosol emissions which form upon atmospheric processing have, however, been less studied. This study aimed to quantify the impacts of replacing petroleum diesel with renewable fuels (hydrotreated vegetable oil [HVO] and rapeseed methyl ester [RME]) on primary and secondary aerosol emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine at different stages of an exhaust aftertreatment system. Emission characterization was obtained by combining a battery of physical characterization techniques with chemical characterization using aerosol mass spectrometry. At engine-out measurements, RME and HVO reduced primary particulate matter (PM) emissions (for example equivalent black carbon [eBC]) and secondary aerosol production (studied with an oxidation flow reactor [OFR]) by mass compared to petroleum diesel. The diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) reduced primary nucleation mode emissions, reduced the effective density of soot mode emissions, and reduced secondary particle production by mass. The DOC + a diesel particulate filter removed >99% of the particle number and eBC emissions. Volatile PM emissions (for example organic aerosol) were found to be distributed between the nucleation mode and soot mode for both primary and secondary emissions, to a degree that depends on both fuel type and aftertreatment. A high mass concentration of condensable species and a low condensation sink in the soot mode led to increased fractions of condensable species present in the nucleation mode. Aging in the OFR led to increases in particle effective density. Motoring the engine (running without combustion) showed that the nucleation mode originated primarily from lubricating oil, and nonvolatile nanoparticle emissions were identified down to 1.2 nm in particle size. In conclusion, replacing petroleum diesel with HVO and RME changes emission characteristics and can help reduce key aerosol emissions of relevance for adverse health and climate impact, especially for diesel engines with no or limited exhaust aftertreatment.
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9. |
- Gren, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Lung function and self-rated symptoms in healthy volunteers after exposure to hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) exhaust with and without particles
- 2022
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Ingår i: Particle and Fibre Toxicology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1743-8977. ; 19:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Diesel engine exhaust causes adverse health effects. Meanwhile, the impact of renewable diesel exhaust, such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), on human health is less known. Nineteen healthy volunteers were exposed to HVO exhaust for 3 h in a chamber with a double-blind, randomized setup. Exposure scenarios comprised of HVO exhaust from two modern non-road vehicles with 1) no aftertreatment system ('HVOPM+NOx' PM1: 93 mu g-m(-3), EC: 54 mu g-m(-3), NO: 3.4 ppm, -NO2: 0.6 ppm), 2) an aftertreatment system containing a diesel oxidation catalyst and a diesel particulate filter ('HVONOx' PM1: similar to 1 mu g-m(-3), NO: 2.0 ppm, -NO2: 0.7 ppm) and 3) filtered air (FA) as control. The exposure concentrations were in line with current EU occupational exposure limits (OELs) of NO, -NO2, formaldehyde, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and the future OEL (2023) of elemental carbon (EC). The effect on nasal patency, pulmonary function, and self-rated symptoms were assessed. Calculated predicted lung deposition of HVO exhaust particles was compared to data from an earlier diesel exhaust study. Results: The average total respiratory tract deposition of PM1 during -HVO(PM+ NO)x was 27 mu g-h(-1). The estimated deposition fraction of HVO PM1 was 40-50% higher compared to diesel exhaust PM1 from an older vehicle (earlier study), due to smaller particle sizes of the -HVOPM+ NOx exhaust. Compared to FA, exposure to -HVOPM+ NOx and -HVONOx caused higher incidence of self-reported symptoms (78%, 63%, respectively, vs. 28% for FA, p < 0.03). Especially, exposure to -HVOPM+ NOx showed 40-50% higher eye and throat irritation symptoms. Compared to FA, a decrement in nasal patency was found for the -HVONOx exposures (- 18.1, 95% CI: - 27.3 to - 8.8 L-min(-1), p < 0.001), and for the -HVOPM+ NOx (- 7.4 (- 15.6 to 0.8) L -min(-1), p = 0.08). Overall, no clinically significant change was indicated in the pulmonary function tests (spirometry, peak expiratory flow, forced oscillation technique). Conclusion: Short-term exposure to HVO exhaust concentrations corresponding to EU OELs for one workday did not cause adverse pulmonary function changes in healthy subjects. However, an increase in self-rated mild irritation symptoms, and mild decrease in nasal patency after both HVO exposures, may indicate irritative effects from exposure to HVO exhaust from modern non-road vehicles, with and without aftertreatment systems.
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10. |
- Gren, Louise, et al.
(författare)
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Underground emissions and miners' personal exposure to diesel and renewable diesel exhaust in a Swedish iron ore mine
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Underground diesel exhaust exposure is an occupational health risk. It is not known how recent intensified emission legislation and use of renewable fuels have reduced or altered occupational exposures. We characterized these effects on multipollutant personal exposure to diesel exhaust and underground ambient air concentrations in an underground iron ore mine.METHODS: Full-shift personal sampling (12 workers) of elemental carbon (EC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and equivalent black carbon (eBC) was performed. The study used and validated eBC as an online proxy for occupational exposure to EC. Ambient air sampling of these pollutants and particle number size distribution and concentration were performed in the vicinity of the workers. Urine samples (27 workers) were collected after 8 h exposure and analyzed for PAH metabolites and effect biomarkers (8-oxodG for DNA oxidative damage, 4-HNE-MA for lipid peroxidation, 3-HPMA for acrolein).RESULTS: The personal exposures (geometric mean; GM) of the participating miners were 7 µg EC m-3 and 153 µg NO2 m-3, which are below the EU occupational exposure limits. However, exposures up to 94 µg EC m-3 and 1200 µg NO2 m-3 were observed. There was a tendency that the operators of vehicles complying with sharpened emission legislation had lower exposure of EC. eBC and NO2 correlated with EC, R = 0.94 and R = 0.66, respectively. No correlation was found between EC and the sum of 16 priority PAHs (GM 1790 ng m-3). Ratios between personal exposures and ambient concentrations were similar and close to 1 for EC and NO2, but significantly higher for PAHs. Semi-volatile PAHs may not be effectively reduced by the aftertreatment systems, and ambient area sampling did not predict the personal airborne PAHs exposure well, neither did the slightly elevated concentration of urinary PAH metabolites correlate with airborne PAH exposure.CONCLUSION: Miners' exposures to EC and NO2 were lower than those in older studies indicating the effect of sharpened emission legislation and new technologies. Using modern vehicles with diesel particulate filter (DPF) may have contributed to the lower ambient underground PM concentration and exposures. The semi-volatile behavior of the PAHs might have led to inefficient removal in the engines aftertreatment systems and delayed removal by the workplace ventilation system due to partitioning to indoor surfaces. The results indicate that secondary emissions can be an important source of gaseous PAH exposure in the mine.
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