dc.identifier.citation |
Abayalath, N., Malshani, I., Ariyaratne, R., Zhao, S., Zhong, G., Zhang, G., Manipura, A., Siribaddana, A., Karunaratne, P., & Kodithuwakku, S. P. (2022). Characterization of airborne PAHs and metals associated with PM10 fractions collected from an urban area of Sri Lanka and the impact on airway epithelial cells. Chemosphere, 286(Pt 2), 131741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131741 |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
Airborne particulate matter (PM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs) are significant contributors leading to many human health issues. Thus, this study was designed to perform chemical
analysis and biological impact of airborne particulate matter 10 (PM10) in the World heritage City of Kandy City
in Sri Lanka. 12 priority PAHs and 34 metals, including 10 highly toxic HMs were quantified. The biological
effects of organic extracts were assayed using an in vitro primary porcine airway epithelial cell culture model.
Cytotoxicity, DNA damage, and gene expressions of selected inflammatory and cancer-related genes were also
assessed. Results showed that the total PAHs ranged from 3.062 to 36.887 ng/m3
. The metals were dominated by
Na > Ca > Mg > Al > K > Fe > Ti, while a few toxic HMs were much higher in the air than the existing ambient
air quality standards. In the bioassays, a significant cytotoxicity (p < 0.05) was observed at 300 μg/mL treatment, and significant (p < 0.05) DNA damages were noted in all treatment groups. All genes assessed were found
to be significantly up-regulated (p < 0.05) after 24 h of exposure and after 48 h, only TGF-β1 and p53 did not
significantly up-regulate (p < 0.05). These findings confirm that the Kandy city air contains potential carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds and thus, exposure to Kandy air may increase the health risks and respiratory
tract-related anomalies. |
en_US |