Chemically resolved lung deposition measurements on regionally transported particulate air pollution

From air pollution comes massive suffering and cost, yet much work remains learning which pollution components and sources cause harm, and how.

Concentration of particulate matter (PM) in ambient air correlates well with many adverse health effects including mortality. Mechanisms behind these effects warrant further investigation. Chemical species present in ambient air differ in toxicological properties.

The damage is not due to one parameter (PM) but a set of complex physical, chemical, and biological processes, beginning with lung deposition.

I propose detailed real-time measurements of the physicochemical processes behind human uptake of regional air pollution.

Measuring deposition differences for particle chemical components will enhance our ability to assess air pollution impacts.

We will implement a series of lung deposition experiments, highly resolved in particle composition, size, and time, and sensitive enough for background air pollution.

Particle size governs deposition, but size changes in the atmosphere, and the lung, through complex processes in need of empirical investigation. Composition-resolved lung deposition measurement will enable source attribution of deposited PM. Deposition site in the respiratory tract, needed to elucidate biological effects, will  also be determined.

Here we lay the foundation for future work, designed to guide air quality policy by combining source-to-exposure relation, lung deposition, health effects, and societal outcomes.