{"669671":{"#nid":"669671","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Study Sheds Light on Toxicity of Atmospheric Particulate Matter Pollution","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEach year, exposure to airborne particulate matter known as PM2.5\u0026nbsp;(particles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers) leads to millions of premature deaths worldwide. Organic aerosols are the\u0026nbsp;dominant constituents of\u0026nbsp;PM2.5\u0026nbsp;in many locations around the world. Historically, the chemical complexity of organic aerosols has made it difficult to gauge their toxicity level.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBut a study led by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology has advanced understanding of both the chemical composition of PM2.5\u0026nbsp;and the reaction of alveolar\u0026nbsp;cells of the lungs exposed to this pollution, highlighting the growing threat posed to human health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPublished in\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EEnvironmental Science and Technology\u003C\/em\u003E, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acs.est.3c03641\u0022\u003Estudy\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;shows that oxidized organic aerosols (OOA) are the most toxic type of organic aerosols in PM2.5.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOxidized organic aerosols are the most abundant type of organic aerosols worldwide,\u201d said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ng.chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ENga Lee (Sally) Ng\u003C\/a\u003E, Love Family Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/chbe.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003ESchool of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cFor example, when wildfire smoke reacts in the atmosphere, it generates OOA.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMeasurement Techniques\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the researchers used advanced techniques such as mass spectrometry to analyze the chemical composition of PM2.5\u0026nbsp;in Atlanta, Georgia, they simultaneously measured the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in alveolar cells resulting from pollution exposure.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EROS are molecules that can cause oxidative stress and damage to our cells, potentially leading to various health problems, including cardiopulmonary diseases.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo understand the mechanisms behind PM2.5-induced oxidative stress, the researchers employed cellular assays, which allowed them to measure both chemically and biologically generated ROS.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe study revealed that highly unsaturated species containing carbon-oxygen double bonds and aromatic rings within OOA are major drivers of cellular ROS production, advancing understanding of the chemical features of ambient organic aerosols that make them toxic.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWildfires Are Growing Source\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAs the contribution from fossil-fuel sources to organic aerosols formation has declined in the United States in recent decades due to reduction strategies, the relative importance of other sources has increased, said Fobang Liu, lead author of the study.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor example, biomass burning is expected to become a more important source of\u0026nbsp;OOA\u0026nbsp;with the increasing trend of wildfires,\u201d added Liu, a former postdoctoral researcher in Ng\u2019s lab at Georgia Tech who is now an associate professor at Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University in China.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EA major chemical characteristic of OOA formed from biomass burning is the high fraction of oxygenated aromatic compounds.\u0026nbsp;\u201cHence, this work highlights that organic aerosols can become more toxic in the future,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EContinued Collaboration\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAccording to the researchers, their findings underscore the need for continued collaboration among the fields of atmospheric chemistry, toxicology, epidemiology, and biotechnology to tackle the global air pollution crisis.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOOA are a surrogate of secondary organic aerosols. Secondary organic aerosols \u0026nbsp;are ubiquitous and abundant in the atmosphere, we need to understand their sources and chemical processing when formulating effective strategies to mitigate PM2.5\u0026nbsp;health impacts,\u201d said Professor Ng.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFuture work should continue to investigate the health impacts of different PM2.5\u0026nbsp;components, particularly secondary organic aerosols formed from precursors emitted during incomplete combustion processes of fossil and biomass fuels,\u201d she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDifferent regions may have varying types of organic aerosols due to diverse emission sources and atmospheric conditions. Therefore, long-term measurement of organic aerosol types over a wide range of geographical areas will be important to advance understanding of health impacts, the researchers emphasized.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESuch work is being conducted by the Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ascent.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EASCENT\u003C\/a\u003E), a $12 million advanced aerosol measurement network of 12 sites around the United States that is led by Professor Ng.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECITATION:\u0026nbsp;Fobang Liu, Taekyu Joo,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003EJenna C. Ditto\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003EMaria G. Saavedra\u003C\/a\u003E, Masayuki Takeuchi,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003EAlexandra J. Boris\u003C\/a\u003E, Yuhan Yang,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003ERodney J. Weber\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003EAnn M. Dillner\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003EDrew R. Gentner\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca\u003ENga L.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/a\u003ENg., \u201cOxidized and unsaturated: key organic aerosol traits associated with cellular reactive oxygen species production in the southeastern United States,\u201d\u0026nbsp;Environmental Science and Technology,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubs.acs.org\/doi\/10.1021\/acs.est.3c03641\u0022\u003E10.1021\/acs.est.3c03641\u003C\/a\u003E, 2023\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEach year, exposure to airborne particulate matter known as PM2.5\u0026nbsp;(particles with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers) leads to millions of premature deaths worldwide. Organic aerosols are the\u0026nbsp;dominant constituents of\u0026nbsp;PM2.5\u0026nbsp;in many locations around the world. Historically, the chemical complexity of organic aerosols has made it difficult to gauge their toxicity level. But a study led by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology has advanced understanding of both the chemical composition of PM2.5\u0026nbsp;and the reaction of alveolar\u0026nbsp;cells of the lungs exposed to this pollution, highlighting the growing threat posed to human health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A study led by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology has advanced understanding of airborne particulate matter and its health effects."}],"uid":"27271","created_gmt":"2023-09-14 15:42:08","changed_gmt":"2024-02-01 15:11:02","author":"Brad Dixon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-09-14T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671705":{"id":"671705","type":"image","title":"Search Network Site","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAerosol chemical measurements and sample collections were conducted at the SEARCH network site at Jefferson Street in Atlanta, Georgia.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1694704911","gmt_created":"2023-09-14 15:21:51","changed":"1694705153","gmt_changed":"2023-09-14 15:25:53","alt":"Aerosol chemical measurements and sample collections were conducted at the SEARCH network site at Jefferson Street in Atlanta, Georgia.","file":{"fid":"254811","name":"airmeasurement.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/airmeasurement.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/airmeasurement.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1602046,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/14\/airmeasurement.jpg?itok=hIaPI4bp"}},"671706":{"id":"671706","type":"image","title":"Fobang Liu","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFobang Liu, a former postdoctoral researcher at Georgia Tech who is now an associate professor at Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University in China\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1694704911","gmt_created":"2023-09-14 15:21:51","changed":"1694705885","gmt_changed":"2023-09-14 15:38:05","alt":"Fobang Liu","file":{"fid":"254812","name":"fobang.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/fobang.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/fobang.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":81637,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/14\/fobang.jpg?itok=yO-57GKA"}},"671708":{"id":"671708","type":"image","title":"ng2.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003ENga Lee \u201cSally\u201d Ng, Love Family Professor in Georgia Tech\u2019s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","created":"1694708531","gmt_created":"2023-09-14 16:22:11","changed":"1694708531","gmt_changed":"2023-09-14 16:22:11","alt":"Nga Lee (Sally) Ng","file":{"fid":"254814","name":"ng2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/ng2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/09\/14\/ng2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":110365,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/09\/14\/ng2.jpg?itok=oM4Oftvh"}}},"media_ids":["671705","671706","671708"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"364801","name":"EAS"},{"id":"1316","name":"Green Buzz"}],"categories":[{"id":"141","name":"Chemistry and Chemical Engineering"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"188347","name":"wildfire smoke"},{"id":"183069","name":"organic aerosols"},{"id":"192022","name":"secondary organic aerosol"},{"id":"104451","name":"air pollution"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"192254","name":"cos-climate"},{"id":"192250","name":"cos-microbial"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBrad Dixon, \u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:braddixon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ebraddixon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["braddixon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}