| Air Pollution and Retained Particles in the Lung Abstract 1School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, and 2Department of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; 3Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez, Mexico City, Mexico; 4Departament of Cellular and Tissue Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico; 5Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Abstract
Epidemiologic evidence associates particulate air pollution with cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality. The biological mechanisms underlying these associations and the relationship between ambient levels and retained particles in the lung remain uncertain. We examined the parenchymal particle content of 11 autopsy lungs from never-smoking female residents of Mexico City, a region with high ambient particle levels [3-year mean PM10 (particulate matter  10 µm in aerodynamic diameter) = 66 µg/m3], and 11 control residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a region with relatively low levels (3-year mean PM10 = 14 µg/m3) . Autopsy lungs were dissolved in bleach and particles were identified and counted by analytical electron microscopy. Total particle concentrations in the Mexico City lungs were significantly higher [geometric mean = 2,055 (geometric SD = 3.9)  106 particles/g dry lung vs. 279 (1.8) 106 particles/g dry lung] than in lungs from Vancouver residents. Lungs from Mexico City contained numerous chain-aggregated masses of ultrafine carbonaceous spheres, some of which contained sulfur, and aggregates of ultrafine aluminum silicate. These aggregates made up an average of 25% of the total particles by count in the lungs from Mexico City, but were only rarely seen in lungs from Vancouver. These observations indicate for the first time that residence in a region with high levels of ambient particles results in pulmonary retention of large quantities of fine and ultrafine particle aggregates, some of which appear to be combustion products. Key words: air pollution, environmental exposure, particles, pulmonary retention. Environ Health Perspect 109:1039-1043 (2001) . [Online 27 September 2001] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p1039-1043brauer/ abstract.html Address correspondence to M. Brauer, School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3 Canada. Telephone: (604) 822-9585. Fax: (604) 822-9588 E-mail: brauer@interchange.ubc.ca This work was supported by grants from the British Columbia Lung Association and the Medical Research Council of Canada. M. Brauer acknowledges the support of a Career Investigator Award from the American Lung Association and a Scientist Award from the Medical Research Council of Canada and the British Columbia Lung Association. Received 17 January 2001 ; accepted 4 April 2001.
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