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Experimental Determination of the Deposition of Aerosol Particles in the Human Respiratory Tract

Löndahl, Jakob LU orcid (2009)
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aerosol particles have, since the antiquity, been linked to adverse effects on human health. It is estimated that the particles in urban air pollution cause at least 100,000 deaths in Europe each year, whereof 5,000 in Sweden. These figures do not include the outcomes of indoor sources or smoking, which shortens the lives of millions of people worldwide. During recent years especially the ultrafine particles (<0.1 µm), typically originating from combustion sources, have been a major concern. The deposition in the respiratory tract of these particles is one important factor determining their health effects. Limited data is available, especially for real-world aerosols. The objective of this thesis was to experimentally study... (More)
BACKGROUND: Aerosol particles have, since the antiquity, been linked to adverse effects on human health. It is estimated that the particles in urban air pollution cause at least 100,000 deaths in Europe each year, whereof 5,000 in Sweden. These figures do not include the outcomes of indoor sources or smoking, which shortens the lives of millions of people worldwide. During recent years especially the ultrafine particles (<0.1 µm), typically originating from combustion sources, have been a major concern. The deposition in the respiratory tract of these particles is one important factor determining their health effects. Limited data is available, especially for real-world aerosols. The objective of this thesis was to experimentally study the respiratory tract deposition of submicrometer aerosol particles.



METHODS: A novel method (RESPI) was developed for investigation of fine and ultrafine particle deposition in the respiratory tract. It was designed to be used for human subjects in exposure studies and in typical ambient and indoor environments. RESPI was used in measurements of respiratory tract deposition for in total 50 subjects inhaling five aerosols (particles from NaCl, DEHS oil, two types of biomass combustion and from a busy street) during rest and exercise.



RESULTS: It was shown that the probability of aerosol particles to deposit in the respiratory tract is altered by a factor 2-8 depending on particle size, particle solubility and individual breathing patterns. For particles in the studied size interval (10-600 nm), deposition probability was not, or only marginally, influenced by gender, level of exercise, particle shape and particle density. However, these factors altered the total amount of particles deposited. For example male and exercising subjects inhaled larger volumes of air, which increased the total number of deposited particles. Measurements of biomass combustion and street particles illustrated that the combined effects of physical and chemical properties of aerosols (particle size, density and solubility) may result in substantial differences in deposition. At the same mass exposure, the dose of traffic exhaust particles deposited in the respiratory tract was 16 times higher by number and 3 times higher by surface compared to those for biomass combustion particles.



CONCLUSION: The results suggest that parts of the variations in toxicity of different aerosols could be explained by the amount of particles deposited in the respiratory tract. Furthermore, some individuals may be more susceptible to effects from air pollution due to a higher dose to the lungs. (Less)
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Prof Schmid, Otmar, Institute for Inhalation Biology Aerosol Science and Nanoparticle Dosimetry, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Germany
organization
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
nanoparticles, deposition, respiratory tract, health, air pollution, aerosol particle, ultrafine particles, lung, Fysicumarkivet A:000
pages
161 pages
publisher
Department of Physics, Lund University
defense location
Lecture hall B, Department of Physics, Sölvegatan 14A, Lund University, Faculty of Engineering
defense date
2009-02-27 10:15:00
external identifiers
  • other:ISRN LUTFD2/(TFKF – 1038)/1-161/(2009)
ISBN
978-91-628-7702-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
The information about affiliations in this record was updated in December 2015. The record was previously connected to the following departments: Nuclear Physics (Faculty of Technology) (011013007)
id
985aafc4-3325-4cad-9c6e-ff6e06db3bb9 (old id 1290114)
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 11:58:42
date last changed
2019-03-08 02:50:43
@phdthesis{985aafc4-3325-4cad-9c6e-ff6e06db3bb9,
  abstract     = {{BACKGROUND: Aerosol particles have, since the antiquity, been linked to adverse effects on human health. It is estimated that the particles in urban air pollution cause at least 100,000 deaths in Europe each year, whereof 5,000 in Sweden. These figures do not include the outcomes of indoor sources or smoking, which shortens the lives of millions of people worldwide. During recent years especially the ultrafine particles (&lt;0.1 µm), typically originating from combustion sources, have been a major concern. The deposition in the respiratory tract of these particles is one important factor determining their health effects. Limited data is available, especially for real-world aerosols. The objective of this thesis was to experimentally study the respiratory tract deposition of submicrometer aerosol particles.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
METHODS: A novel method (RESPI) was developed for investigation of fine and ultrafine particle deposition in the respiratory tract. It was designed to be used for human subjects in exposure studies and in typical ambient and indoor environments. RESPI was used in measurements of respiratory tract deposition for in total 50 subjects inhaling five aerosols (particles from NaCl, DEHS oil, two types of biomass combustion and from a busy street) during rest and exercise.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
RESULTS: It was shown that the probability of aerosol particles to deposit in the respiratory tract is altered by a factor 2-8 depending on particle size, particle solubility and individual breathing patterns. For particles in the studied size interval (10-600 nm), deposition probability was not, or only marginally, influenced by gender, level of exercise, particle shape and particle density. However, these factors altered the total amount of particles deposited. For example male and exercising subjects inhaled larger volumes of air, which increased the total number of deposited particles. Measurements of biomass combustion and street particles illustrated that the combined effects of physical and chemical properties of aerosols (particle size, density and solubility) may result in substantial differences in deposition. At the same mass exposure, the dose of traffic exhaust particles deposited in the respiratory tract was 16 times higher by number and 3 times higher by surface compared to those for biomass combustion particles.<br/><br>
<br/><br>
CONCLUSION: The results suggest that parts of the variations in toxicity of different aerosols could be explained by the amount of particles deposited in the respiratory tract. Furthermore, some individuals may be more susceptible to effects from air pollution due to a higher dose to the lungs.}},
  author       = {{Löndahl, Jakob}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-628-7702-6}},
  keywords     = {{nanoparticles; deposition; respiratory tract; health; air pollution; aerosol particle; ultrafine particles; lung; Fysicumarkivet A:000}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Department of Physics, Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Experimental Determination of the Deposition of Aerosol Particles in the Human Respiratory Tract}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5898994/1290115.pdf}},
  year         = {{2009}},
}