The cytotoxicities induced by PM10 and particle-bound water-soluble species

A 1-year field sampling of PM10 was performed at a town that usually has the worst air quality in Taiwan to examine if PM10 is a good indicator for pollutant-induced cytotoxicity. The average PM10 concentration in summer was the lowest, while the other three seasons did not show statistical difference in their PM10 means. The pollutant-induced cytotoxicity presented as the cumene-hydroperoxide equivalent concentration (CEC) was found to positively correlate with PM10 concentrations and this study yielded a yearly average of the seasonal CEC 12.±8.54 μM with the magnitudes in sequence for the four seasons as: fall>winter>spring>summer. Positive relationship was also found between seasonal PM10 and their corresponding CECs. The exponential regression model obtained from this study shows: CEC=3.305exp(0.0118PM10) (R2=0.634). The CEC correlates more significantly with NO3−, SO42−, NH4+ and Cl− (secondary aerosol species) than with the Na+, K+, Ca2+ and Mg2+ (crust-related species) in PM10. However, the best multivariable model obtained from this study to relate CEC with the concentrations of PM10-bearing water-soluble species shows: CEC=exp(1.4751+0.0470[SO42−]+0.0143[NO3−]) (R2=0.550).