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Nitrate aerosol plays an increasingly important role in wintertime haze pollution in China. Despite intensive research on wintertime nitrate chemistry in recent years, quantitative constraints on the formation mechanisms of nitrate aerosol in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), one of the most developed and densely populated regions in eastern China, remain inadequate. In this study, we identify the major nitrate formation pathways and their key controlling factors during the winter haze pollution period in the eastern YRD using 2-year (2018–2019) field observations and detailed observation-constrained model simulations. We find that the high atmospheric oxidation capacity, coupled with high aerosol liquid water content (ALWC), made both the heterogeneous hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) and the gas-phase OH oxidation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) important pathways for wintertime nitrate formation in this region, with contribution percentages of 69 % and 29 % in urban areas and 63 % and 35 % in suburban areas during the haze pollution episodes, respectively. We further find that the gas-to-particle partitioning of nitric acid (HNO3) was very efficient so that the rate-determining step in the overall formation process of nitrate aerosol was the oxidation of NOx to HNO3 through both heterogeneous and gas-phase processes. The atmospheric oxidation capacity (i.e., the availability of O3 and OH radicals) was the key factor controlling the production rate of HNO3 from both processes. During the COVID-19 lockdown (January–February 2020), the enhanced atmospheric oxidation capacity greatly promoted the oxidation of NOx to nitrate and hence weakened the response of nitrate aerosol to the emission reductions in urban areas. Our study sheds light on the detailed formation mechanisms of wintertime nitrate aerosol in the eastern YRD and highlights the demand for the synergetic regulation of atmospheric oxidation capacity and NOx emissions to mitigate wintertime nitrate and haze pollution in eastern China.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is disrupting the world from many aspects. In this study, the impact of emission variations on PM2.5-bound elemental species and health risks associated to inhalation exposure has been analyzed based on real-time measurements at a remote coastal site in Shanghai during the pandemic. Most trace elemental species decreased significantly and displayed almost no diel peaks during the lockdown. After the lockdown, they rebounded rapidly, of which V and Ni even exceeded the levels before the lockdown, suggesting the recovery of both inland and shipping activities. Five sources were identified based on receptor modeling. Coal combustion accounted for more than 70% of the measured elemental concentrations before and during the lockdown. Shipping emissions, mineral/fugitive dust, and waste incineration all showed elevated contributions after the lockdown. The total non-carcinogenic risk (HQ) for the target elements exceeded the risk threshold for both children and adults with chloride as the predominant species contributing to HQ. Whereas, the total carcinogenic risk (TR) for adults was above the acceptable level and much higher than that for children. Waste incineration was the largest contributor to HQ, while manufacture processing and coal combustion were the main sources of TR. Lockdown control measures were beneficial for lowering the carcinogenic risk while unexpectedly increased the non-carcinogenic risk. From the perspective of health effects, priorities of control measures should be given to waste incineration, manufacture processing, and coal combustion. A balanced way should be reached between both lowering the levels of air pollutants and their health risks., Graphical Abstract Graphical Abstract Image, graphical abstract.

Herein we investigated the morphology, chemical characteristics, and source apportionment of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) samples collected from five sites in Jiaxing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that soot aggregates and coal-fired fly ash were generally the most abundant components in the samples. All the samples were analyzed gravimetrically for mass concentrations and their various compositions were determined. Our results revealed that the PM2.5 concentrations in the samples were in the following order: winter > spring > autumn > summer. The PM2.5 concentrations in winter and spring were higher than those in autumn and summer, except for inorganic elements. Carbonaceous species and water-soluble inorganic ions were the most abundant components in the samples, accounting for 26.17-50.44% and 34.27-49.6%, respectively. The high secondary organic carbon/organic carbon ratio indicated that secondary organic pollution in Jiaxing was severe. The average ratios of NO3-/SO42-, ranging from 1.01 to 1.25 at the five sites, indicated that mobile pollution sources contributed more to the formation of PM2.5 than stationary sources. The BeP/(BeP + BaP) ratio (0.52-0.71) in samples reflected the influence of transportation from outside of Jiaxing. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model identified eight main pollution sources: secondary nitrates (26.95%), secondary sulfates (15.49%), secondary organic aerosol (SOA) (19.64%), vehicle exhaust (15.67%), coal combustion (8.6%), fugitive dust (7.7%), ships and heavy oil (5.23%), biomass burning, and other sources (0.91%). Therefore, PM2.5 pollution in Jiaxing during the winter and spring seasons was more severe than that in the summer and autumn. Secondary aerosols were the most important source of PM2.5 pollution; therefore, focus should be placed on controlling gaseous precursors.

Source apportionment of fine particulate matter (PM

Background According to recent epidemiologic studies, exposure to fine particulate matter (particulate matter 2.5 ≤ µm [PM2.5]) in the air increases the incidence and severity of allergic rhinitis (AR). Ursolic acid (UA) has activities in immune regulation and anti-inflammatory. However, the role of UA intervention on PM2.5-exposed AR remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of UA on tissue remodeling and mucus hypersecretion in a rat model of AR after PM2.5 exposure. Methods AR was induced in rats with ovalbumin (OVA) and they were exposed to ambient PM2.5(200 µg/m3) via a PM2.5 inhalation exposure system for 30 days(ARE group). Ursolic acid intervention was administrated in the AR model after PM2.5 exposure (UA group). Hyperplasia of goblet cells was detected by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and collagen deposition in the nasal mucosa was detected by Masson trichrome (MT) staining.MUC5AC expression was measured by immunohistochemistry. Results UA group showed reduced goblet cell hyperplasia and collagen deposition in the nasal mucosa which exacerbated after PM2.5 exposure, as reflected by PAS and MT staining when compared with the ARE group. Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of MUC5AC in the UA group was lower than that in the ARE group. Conclusion Analysis of our data indicated that UA could attenuate nasal remodeling and mucus hypersecretion in aggravation of AR after PM2.5 exposure, which may be the pathophysiologic mechanisms for the prevention of AR exacerbated by exposure to PM2.5.

Mercury (Hg) is a global toxic pollutant that can be released into the atmosphere through anthropogenic and natural sources. The uncertainties in the estimated emission amounts are much larger from natural than anthropogenic sources. A method was developed in the present study to quantify the contributions of natural surface mercury emissions to ambient gaseous elemental mercury (GEM) concentrations through application of positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis with temperature, O3, and NH3 as indicators of GEM emissions from natural surfaces. GEM concentrations were continuously monitored at a 2-hourly resolution at a regional background site in the Yangtze River Delta in Eastern China during 2015–2018. Annual average GEM concentrations were in the range of 2.03–3.01 ng/m3, with a strong decreasing trend at a rate of −0.32 ± 0.07 ng m−3 yr−1 from 2015 to 2018, which was mostly caused by reduced anthropogenic emissions since 2013. The estimated contributions from natural surface emissions of mercury to the ambient GEM concentrations were in the range of 0.90–1.01 ng/m3 on annual average with insignificant interannual changes, but the relative contribution increased significantly from 36 % in 2015 to 53 % in 2018, gradually surpassing those from anthropogenic sources.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM

To investigate formation mechanisms of secondary organic carbon (SOC) in Eastern China, measurements were conducted in an urban site in Shanghai in the summer of 2015. A period of high O3 concentrations (daily peak > 120 ppb) was observed, during which daily maximum SOC concentrations exceeding 9.0 μg/(C·m3). Diurnal variations of SOC concentration and SOC/organic carbon (OC) ratio exhibited both daytime and nighttime peaks. The SOC concentrations correlated well with Ox (= O3 + NO2) and relative humidity in the daytime and nighttime, respectively, suggesting that secondary organic aerosol formation in Shanghai is driven by both photochemical production and aqueous phase reactions. Single particle mass spectrometry was used to examine the formation pathways of SOC. Along with the daytime increase of SOC, the number fraction of elemental carbon (EC) particles coated with OC quickly increased from 38.1% to 61.9% in the size range of 250–2000 nm, which was likely due to gas-to-particle partitioning of photochemically generated semi-volatile organic compounds onto EC particles. In the nighttime, particles rich in OC components were highly hygroscopic, and number fraction of these particles correlated well with relative humidity and SOC/OC nocturnal peaks. Meanwhile, as an aqueous-phase SOC tracer, particles that contained oxalate-Fe(III) complex also peaked at night. These observations suggested that aqueous-phase processes had an important contribution to the SOC nighttime formation. The influence of aerosol acidity on SOC formation was studied by both bulk and single particle level measurements, suggesting that the aqueous-phase formation of SOC was enhanced by particle acidity.

Based on the concentrations of the carbonaceous components and the typical organic tracers in 682 p.m.2.5 samples collected in Shanghai from 2012 to 2018, the temporal trends of the concentrations and potential sources of the secondary organic aerosols in PM2.5 in Shanghai were investigated. The annual average concentrations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC) and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) all showed a decreasing trend along with the PM2.5 concentration. The annual concentration of total carbon (TC) in 2018 (4.3 μg m−3) was about 34% of that in 2012. Compared with that in 2013, the concentrations of isoprene and sesquiterpene SOA tracers in 2018 decreased by 48% and 43%. Meanwhile, the concentration of monoterpene SOA tracers kept stable in 2 ng m−3 to 3 ng m−3, and the concentration of toluene SOA tracer decreased slightly from 1.3 ng m−3 in 2013 to 1.0 ng m−3 in 2018. Correlation analysis with levoglucosan suggested that biomass burning should be an important source of sesquitertene in Shanghai. It was found that the 2-MGA/2-MTLs ratio of the isoprene tracers was more strongly affected by the ambient temperature but not NOx in Shanghai. The concentration of secondary organic carbon (SOC) estimated with OC/EC-based, WSOC-based and tracer-based methods showed a decreasing trend during the study period, but the contribution of SOC to OC was increasing. Anthropogenic aromatic volatile organic compounds was the increasingly important contributor to the SOC in PM2.5, and should be the key pollutants to be controlled to further improve the air quality in Shanghai.

Background: Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been widely associated with airway inflammation represented by increased fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). However, it remains unclear whether various PM2.5 constituents have different impacts on FeNO and its production process from the arginase (ARG)–nitric oxide synthase (NOS) pathway. Objectives: To investigate the acute effects of PM2.5 constituents on FeNO and DNA methylation of genes involved. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal panel study among 43 young adults in Shanghai, China from May to October in 2016. We monitored the concentrations of 25 constituents of PM2.5. We applied the linear mixed-effect model to evaluate the associations of PM2.5 constituents with FeNO and DNA methylation of the ARG2 and NOS2A genes. Results: Following PM2.5 exposure, NOS2A methylation decreased and ARG2 methylation increased only on the concurrent day, whereas FeNO increased most prominently on the second day. Nine constituents (OC, EC, K, Fe, Zn, Ba, Cr, Se, and Pb) showed consistent associations with elevated FeNO and decreased NOS2A methylation or increased ARG2 methylation in single-constituent models and models adjusting for PM2.5 total mass and collinearity. An interquartile range increase of these constituents was associated with respective decrements of 0.27–1.20 in NOS2A methylation (%5mC); increments of 0.48–1.56 in ARG2 methylation (%5mC); and increments of 7.12%–17.54% in FeNO. Conclusions: Our results suggested that OC, EC, and some metallic elements may be mainly responsible for the development and epigenetic regulation of airway inflammatory response induced by short-term PM2.5 exposure. Keywords: Fine particulate matter, Chemical constituents, Airway inflammation, Exhaled nitric oxide, DNA methylation, Panel study

Real-time measurements of submicron aerosol species including sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, chloride, organics and black carbon were conducted from a regional site (Dianshan Lake) in the rural area of western Shanghai for 1 year from July 2015 to June 2016. An Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACSM) and an Aethalometer were deployed to analyze the seasonal and diurnal variations of aerosol properties at 1-h time resolution. The ACSM and Aethalometer measurements of submicron particulate matter (PM1) concentration and composition agreed well with collocated measurements of PM2.5 using a Tapered Element Oscillating Microbalance, a Monitoring Instrument for Aerosols and Gases (MARGA) and a Sunset organic carbon and elemental carbon (OC/EC) analyzer. A rolling-window positive matrix factorization (RW-PMF) algorithm was applied to the ACSM mass spectra to examine organic aerosol (OA) sources and identified three factors representing hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA), more-oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (MO-OOA) and less-oxidized oxygenated organic aerosol (LO-OOA), respectively. The annual average mass concentration of PM1 was 43.6 ± 29.9 μg m−3, with the seasonal average ranging from 32.3 ± 21.0 μg m−3 in summer to 60.3 ± 38.3 μg m−3 in winter. OA contributed the most to PM1 with a small seasonal difference (29–32%). More seasonal variations were observed in the mass fractions of nitrate (20–26%) and sulfate (18–26%) in PM1. Nitrate played an important role in PM pollution episodes since its fractional contribution to PM1 mass increased by approximately a factor of 3 (from ~10% to ~30%) from the lowest to the highest aerosol conditions. Photochemical production and gas-particle partitioning were the main drivers for secondary inorganic aerosol formation, leading to significant diurnal and seasonal cycles. The highest mass fractions of sulfate and nitrate occurred in summer and winter, respectively. Diurnal variation profiles of OA changed significantly between seasons, due to seasonal variations in dominant source contributions and meteorological conditions. HOA showed a predominant morning peak corresponding mainly to traffic emissions. Photochemical production of LO-OOA was observed in the afternoons of summer whereas a relatively flat diurnal cycle of MO-OOA suggested that it was mainly formed on a regional scale. Backtrajectory and potential source contribution function (PSCF) analyses indicated that the most important source region of LO-OOA was located in the coastal areas to the south of Shanghai while MO-OOA had a dominant transport pathway in the northwest direction.

High pollution episodes of PM2.5 and O3 were frequently observed at a rural site (N31.0935º, E120.978°) in eastern Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in summer. To study the impacts of photochemical reactions on secondary aerosol formation in this region, we performed real-time measurements of the mass concentration and composition of PM2.5, particle size distribution (13.6~736.5 nm), concentrations of gas pollutants including O3, SO2, NO2, CO, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC)), and nitrate radical in 2013. During the sampling period, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 76.1 (± 16.5) μg/m(3), in which secondary aerosol species including sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) accounted for ~ 62%. Gas-phase oxidation of SO2 was mainly responsible for a fast increase of sulfate (at 1.70 μg/m(3)/h) in the morning. Photochemical production of nitric acid was intense during daytime, but particulate nitrate concentration was low in the afternoon due to high temperature. At night, nitrate was mainly formed through the hydrolysis of NO3 and/or N2O5. The correlations among NMHC, Ox (= O3 + NO2), and SOA suggested that a combination of high emission of hydrocarbons and active photochemical reactions led to the rapid formation of SOA. In addition, several new particle formation and fast growth events were observed despite high ambient aerosol loading. Since the onset of new particle events was accompanied by a rapid increase of H2SO4 and SOA, enhanced formation of sulfate and SOA driven by photochemical oxidation likely promoted the formation and growth of new particles. Together, our results demonstrated that strong atmospheric photochemical reactions enhanced secondary aerosols formation and led to the synchronous occurrence of high concentrations of PM2.5 and O3 in a regional scale. These findings are important for better understanding the air pollution in summer in YRD.

Nitrate became the most significant component of secondary inorganic aerosols (SNA, the sum of sulfate, nitrate and ammonium ions) as the emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) have been greatly reduced in China in recent years. In the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), nitrate could contribute 56% of SNA and 34% of total PM2.5 during haze episodes. In this study, a modified Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model was used to provide a comprehensive understanding of nitrate source and formation under severe pollution during winter 2015 and 2016. Three haze episodes (HEP1, HEP2 and HEP3) and one clean episode (CEP) were selected to investigate the emission sector and regional contributions to nitrate at six environmental monitoring sites in the YRD. Source apportionment results showed that industry (35%), transportation (32%) and power (28%) sectors were the important sources of nitrate during haze episodes. Regional transport (60–98%) was responsible for the high nitrate concentrations in the YRD. During haze episodes, the high ozone production (PO3) rate (up to 700 ppb/h) and hydroxyl radicals (OH) removal rate (up to 9 ppb/h) were observed in the daytime indicating the important atmospheric oxidation capacity in the YRD. Also, the nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR) analysis elucidated that daytime photochemistry played an important role in nitrate formation and the heterogeneous chemistry enhanced the high nitrate at night. Results from emission scenario analysis demonstrated that averaged nitrate concentration in Shanghai decreased by 18% during haze episodes under emission reductions of 20% NOx, NH3 and VOC in the YRD, and Shandong, Shanxi, Henan and Hebei provinces. Emission reduction on the regional scale (one city and its surrounding areas) is an efficient strategy to reduce nitrate concentration in the YRD.

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can cause adverse health effects through the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after inhalation. Humic-like substances (HULIS) are major constituents contributing to the ROS-generation potential in organic aerosols. In this study, PM2.5 samples in urban Shanghai during autumn and winter (2018-2019) were collected. Mass-normalized ·OH generation rate in surrogate lung fluid (SLF) was used to denote the intrinsic ROS-generation potential of PM2.5 or of the HULIS isolated from PM2.5. In this study, ROS-generation potential of PM2.5 decreased with increasing ambient PM2.5 concentration due to higher percentage of inorganic components in high PM2.5 event. Same trend was observed for the ROS-generation potential of unit mass of HULIS, which was higher when HULIS and PM2.5 concentrations were both relatively lower. The HULIS with high ROS-generation potential but low concentration (High-ROS/Low-Conc HULIS) were likely produced by the atmospheric aqueous-phase reactions during nighttime or under high relative humidity conditions, not from biomass burning emissions or the photochemical pollution products. The association between ROS-generation potential and light absorption properties of HULIS was studied as well. The High-ROS/Low-Conc HULIS also showed stronger light absorbance than the other HULIS. Our results implied the potentially important roles that HULIS species might play in atmospheric environment and human health even when the PM2.5 pollution is low.

This study aims to understand the characteristics of surface ozone (O3), search for factors affecting the variations in its concentration, and estimate its impacts on the secondary organic carbon (SOC) levels and atmospheric oxidation capacities in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Four years of continuous observations (2014–2017) of the surface O3, organic carbon, elemental carbon, nitrogen oxides, PM2.5 and meteorological factors along with three years of measurements (2015–2017) of the concentrations of 56 volatile organic compounds were conducted at a rural site. Our measurements showed that the total number of O3 pollution days more than doubled over the four-year period, from 28 days in 2014 to 76 days in 2017. The annual mean of the maximum daily 8-h average O3 concentration during the months with the strongest solar radiation (July–September) showed a 6.8% growth rate, from 124.5 (2014) to 149.8 μg m−3 (2017). Regional transport was shown to be the dominant contributor to the high level of O3 based on a process analysis of the O3 variation using the Weather Research and Forecasting-Community Multiscale Air Quality model for this site. The simulation results indicated that the city junction site served well as an epitome of the regional background of the YRD. We also found that the level of SOC, which is a major component of PM2.5 that results from atmospheric oxidizing processes, gradually increased with the increase in the surface O3 level, even though the overall PM2.5 concentration significantly decreased each year. There was an increasingly strong correlation between SOC and Ox (O3 + nitrogen dioxide) during both the daytime and night-time from 2014 to 2017 when the highest annual O3 concentration was observed. These findings imply that the atmospheric oxidation capacity increased and likely contributed to the SOC production in the YRD during 2014–2017.

Ambient heavy fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution events occur frequently during winter seasons in eastern China. Investigating the evolution of source contributions during heavy pollution episodes is critical for strategies of pollution relief. In this study, a two-month field campaign was conducted in the winters of 2015 and 2016 at a regional supersite in eastern China and over one thousand hourly online measurements for twenty PM2.5 species were obtained. Hourly source apportionment for the total mass of PM2.5, and its major species (primary organic carbon, elemental carbon, nitrate, sulfate and ammonium), were then performed by Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Multilinear Engine-2 (ME2) models. Three PM2.5 heavy pollution episodes including ten high concentration peaks were identified for further analysis. Results showed that ME2 performed better than PMF by fixing source profiles of secondary nitrate, secondary sulfate and sea salt, although they have dominant consistencies. Two types of pollution sources were identified from high PM2.5 mass peaks: coal combustion-oriented responsible for four peaks and secondary inorganic aerosol-oriented responsible for the remaining six peaks. Low wind speed and planetary boundary layer favorited the coal combustion-oriented peaks, but also weakened the secondary inorganic formation due to low temperature and accumulated nitric oxide. Primary emissions from coal combustion can contribute 18% to ammonium in addition to 72% from secondary inorganic aerosol. Secondary organic aerosol would contribute 20% of PM2.5 mass during the heaviest episodes. Findings in this study provide insights into the causes of heavy pollution episodes and support implementing effective control strategies to mitigate heavy pollution events in eastern China.

Since the concentrations of primary particles and secondary inorganic aerosol components have been reduced significantly due to stringent emission controls, quantifying the source contributions and regional transport of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is critical to further improve air quality in eastern China. In this study, the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model coupled with the updated SAPRC-11 photochemical mechanism and a revised SOA module was applied to investigate the emission sector and regional contributions to SOA in winter 2015 (January 5–26, 2015) and 2016 (December 20, 2015–January 20, 2016) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). The model is generally capable of reproducing the observed SOA concentrations at the Qingpu Supersite in Shanghai. The observed and predicted SOA concentrations are 6.4 μg/m3 and 6.9 μg/m3 in winter 2015, and 5.7 μg/m3 and 9.6 μg/m3 in winter 2016. The mean fraction bias (MFB) of the hourly SOA predictions is 0.22 and 0.32, respectively. High SOA concentrations in the wintertime of YRD are mainly due to aromatic compounds and dicarbonyls (glyoxal and methylglyoxal), which, on average, account for 43% and 53% of total SOA, respectively. The average contributions of industrial, residential, and transportation sectors in the YRD region during the entire simulation periods are 61%, 22%, and 17%, respectively. At the Qingpu Supersite in Shanghai, the industrial sector contributes to as much as 65% of total SOA in the heavy pollution episode of 2016. The contributions from transportation and residential sectors are 16% and 17%, respectively, during the same episode. The industry emissions from the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai are major contributors to the SOA at the Qingpu supersite during the heavy-polluted episodes, accounting for 31%, 19%, and 14% of the total predicted SOA. This study represents the first detailed regional modeling study of source region contributions to SOA in the YRD region and the detailed analyses of SOA in two winters months complement the previous SOA source apportionment studies focusing on seasonal average contributions.

Background Systemic inflammation is considered one of the key mechanisms in the development of cardiovascular diseases induced by fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution. However, evidence concerning the effects of various PM2.5 constituents on circulating inflammatory biomarkers were limited and inconsistent. Objectives To evaluate the associations of short-term exposure to a variety of PM2.5 constituents with circulating inflammatory biomarkers. Methods We conducted a panel study from May to October 2016 among 40 healthy adults in Shanghai, China. We monitored the concentrations of 27 constituents of PM2.5. We applied linear mixed-effect models to analyze the associations of PM2.5 and its constituents with 7 inflammatory biomarkers, and further assessed the robustness of the associations by fitting models adjusting for PM2.5 mass and/or their collinearity. Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate was used to correct for multiple comparisons. Results The associations of PM2.5 were strongest at lag 0 d with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), at lag 1 d with interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and interleukin-17A, at lag 02 d with monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). After correcting for multiple comparisons in all models, Cl−, K+, Si, K, As, and Pb were significantly associated with interleukin-8; SO42− and Se were marginally significantly associated with interleukin-8; SO42−, As, and Se were marginally significantly associated with TNF-α; and Si, K, Zn, As, Se, and Pb were marginally significantly associated with MCP-1. Conclusions Our results suggested that some constituents (SO42−, Cl−, K+, and some elements) might be mainly responsible for systemic inflammation triggered by short-term PM2.5 exposure.

Herein we investigated the morphology, chemical characteristics, and source apportionment of fine particulate matter (PM

Background The identification of constituents of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution that had key impacts of ischemic stroke (the predominant subtype of stroke) is important to understand the underlying biological mechanisms and develop air pollution control policies. Objectives To explore the associations between PM2.5 constituents and hospitalization for ischemic stroke in Shanghai, China. Methods We conducted a time-series study to explore the associations between 27 constituents of PM2.5 and hospitalization for ischemic stroke in Shanghai, China from 2014 to 2016. The over-dispersed generalized additive models with adjustment for time, day of week, holidays, and weather conditions were used to estimate the associations. We also evaluated the robustness of the effect estimates for each constituent after adjusting for the confounding effects of PM2.5 total mass and gaseous pollutants and the collinearity (the residual) between this constituent and PM2.5 total mass. We also compared the associations between seasons. Results In total, we identified 4186 ischemic stroke hospitalizations during the study period. The associations of ischemic stroke were consistently significant with elemental carbon and several elemental constituents (Chromium, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Arsenic, Selenium, and Lead) at lag 1 day in single-constituent models, models adjusting for PM2.5 total mass or gaseous pollutants and models adjusting for collinearity. The associations were much stronger in cool season than in warm season. Conclusions The current study provides suggestive evidence that elemental carbon and some metallic elements may be mainly responsible for the risks of ischemic stroke hospitalization induced by short-term PM2.5 exposure.

Background Few studies have investigated respiratory effects of particulate matter air pollution using a full range of particle size distribution. Objectives To explore the short-term associations between size-fractionated particle number concentration (PNC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) mortality. Methods We conducted a time-series study to explore the associations between size-fractionated PNC and daily COPD mortality in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China, from 2014 to 2016. We evaluated particle size distribution from 0.01 μm to 10 μm, which was segregated into 7 ranges to better explore the size-dependent associations. We used over-dispersed generalized additive models to estimate the associations after controlling for time trends, temperature, humidity, day of the week and holidays. Results A total of 5430 deaths due to COPD were identified during the study period. For size ranges from 2.5 – 10 μm, 1–2.5 μm to 0.3–1 μm, there were stronger associations between PNC and COPD mortality, but the associations were statistically insignificant. However, for the smaller size ranges from 0.3 to 0.01 μm, the associations became statistically significant and the magnitude of association remained stable. An interquartile range increase in PNC at lag 0–1 day for size ranges 0.01–0.03 μm, 0.03–0.05 μm, 0.05–0.1 μm and 0.1–0.3 μm was associated with increments of 4.44% (95% CI: 1.16%, 7.73%), 4.31% (95% CI: 1.16%, 7.47%), 4.22% (95% CI: 1.05%, 7.40%), and 4.28% (95% CI: 0.48%, 8.09%) in COPD mortality, respectively. Conclusion This study suggested that particles below 0.3 μm in diameter might be mainly responsible for the adverse effect of particulate air pollution on CDPD mortality in Shanghai, China.

Atmospheric particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been drawing sustained attention due to their health risk and effects on air pollution. It is essential to determine the main sources and reduce atmospheric levels of PAHs to protect human health. PAHs in PM2.5 have been detected at five sites located in five districts in Shanghai, a modern metropolitan city in China. Spatial and temporal variations of composition profiles and sources of PAHs at each site in each season were investigated. The results showed that atmospheric particulate PAHs level in Shanghai was the lowest in summer and the highest in winter, dominated by high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs. Analysis with a combination of coefficients of Pearson's correlation and coefficient of divergences indicated heterogeneous spatial and temporal distribution for LMW PAHs and homogenous distribution for HMW PAHs. Diagnostic ratios and positive matrix factorization (PMF) model both identified pyrogenic sources as the main contributor of PAHs in Shanghai, with vehicular source contribution of 32-43% to the total PAHs annually and around 20% from biomass burning emissions in urban and urban buildup areas. While in winter, coal combustion and biomass burning could act as two major sources of PAHs in suburban areas, which could contribute to >70% of total PAHs measured in PM2.5 in Shanghai.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is one of the major components of aerosols in the atmosphere and has not been well understood so far. Due to the complex chemical composition of organic aerosols, the identification of SOA has been a hotspot and difficult issue in the field of aerosol study. This study attempts to quantitatively identify SOA in winter, Shenzhen based on positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis. Major sources were resolved and SOA were identified subsequently according to the characteristic ion fragments measured by highly time-resolved Aerosol Mass Spectrometer measurement. It showed that in the winter of Shenzhen the average SOA concentration was 9.41±6.33 μg/m3, accounting for 39.9±21.8% of the total organic mass. Compared with primary organic aerosol (POA), the SOA concentrations had no large variation, suggestive of characteristics of regional secondary pollutants. The ratio of SOA/BC had pronounced diurnal variation, similar to that of Ox (O3 + NO2), indicating SOA formation was significantly controlled by activity of photochemistry in the atmosphere. The most effective period for SOA formation was from 9 am–3 pm since the SOA/BC ratio increased by 122% during this period. This study provides a new technical method and a new idea for SOA investigation.