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Although many studies have discussed the impact of Europe's air quality, very limited research focused on the detailed phenomenology of ambient trace elements (TEs) in PM 10 in urban atmosphere. This study compiled long-term (2013-2022) measurements of speciation of ambient urban PM 10 from 55 sites of 7 countries (Switzerland, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, UK), aiming to elucidate the phenomenology of 20 TEs in PM 10 in urban Europe. The monitoring sites comprised urban background (UB, n = 26), traffic (TR, n = 10), industrial (IN, n = 5), suburban background (SUB, n = 7), and rural background (RB, n = 7) types. The sampling campaigns were conducted using standardized protocols to ensure data comparability. In each country, PM 10 samples were collected over a fixed period using high-volume air samplers. The analysis encompassed the spatio-temporal distribution of TEs, and relationships between TEs at each site. Results indicated an annual average for the sum of 20 TEs of 90 ± 65 ng/m 3 , with TR and IN sites exhibiting the highest concentrations (130 ± 66 and 131 ± 80 ng/m 3 , respectively). Seasonal variability in TEs concentrations, influenced by emission sources and meteorology, revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) across all monitoring sites. Estimation of TE concentrations highlighted distinct ratios between non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic metals, with Zn (40 ± 49 ng/m 3 ), Ti (21 ± 29 ng/m 3 ), and Cu (23 ± 35 ng/m 3 ) dominating non-carcinogenic TEs, while Cr (5 ± 7 ng/m 3 ), and Ni (2 ± 6 ng/m 3 ) were prominent among carcinogenic ones. Correlations between TEs across diverse locations and seasons varied, in agreement with differences in emission sources and meteorological conditions. This study provides valuable insights into TEs in pan-European urban atmosphere, contributing to a comprehensive dataset for future environmental protection policies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A comprehensive chemical characterization of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was conducted at an urban site in one of the most densely populated cities of Vietnam, Hanoi. Chemical analysis of a series of 57 daily PM 2.5 samples obtained in 2019-2020 included the quantification of a detailed set of chemical tracers as well as the oxidative potential (OP), which estimates the ability of PM to catalyze reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in vivo as an initial step of health effects due to oxidative stress. The PM 2.5 concentrations ranged from 8.3 to 148 μg m -3 , with an annual average of 40.2 ± 26.3 μg m -3 (from September 2019 to December 2020). Our results obtained by applying the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) source-receptor apportionment model showed the contribution of nine PM 2.5 sources. The main anthropogenic sources contributing to the PM mass concentrations were heavy fuel oil (HFO) combustion (25.3 %), biomass burning (20 %), primary traffic (7.6 %) and long-range transport aerosols (10.6 %). The OP activities were evaluated for the first time in an urban site in Vietnam. The average OP v levels obtained in our study were 3.9 ± 2.4 and 4.5 ± 3.2 nmol min -1  m -3 for OP DTT and OP AA , respectively. We assessed the contribution to OP DTT and OP AA of each PM 2.5 source by applying multilinear regression models. It shows that the sources associated with human activities (HFO combustion, biomass burning and primary traffic) are the sources driving OP exposure, suggesting that they should be the first sources to be controlled in future mitigation strategies. This study gives for the first time an extensive and long-term chemical characterization of PM 2.5, providing also a link between emission sources, ambient concentrations and exposure to air pollution at an urban site in Hanoi, Vietnam., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The oxidative potential (OP) of particulate matter (PM) is a major driver of PM-associated health effects. In India, the emission sources defining PM-OP, and their local/regional nature, are yet to be established. Here, to address this gap we determine the geographical origin, sources of PM, and its OP at five Indo-Gangetic Plain sites inside and outside Delhi. Our findings reveal that although uniformly high PM concentrations are recorded across the entire region, local emission sources and formation processes dominate PM pollution. Specifically, ammonium chloride, and organic aerosols (OA) from traffic exhaust, residential heating, and oxidation of unsaturated vapors from fossil fuels are the dominant PM sources inside Delhi. Ammonium sulfate and nitrate, and secondary OA from biomass burning vapors, are produced outside Delhi. Nevertheless, PM-OP is overwhelmingly driven by OA from incomplete combustion of biomass and fossil fuels, including traffic. These findings suggest that addressing local inefficient combustion processes can effectively mitigate PM health exposure in northern India., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Oxidative stress is a prominent pathway for the health effects associated with fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) exposure. Oxidative potential (OP) of PM has been associated to several health endpoints, but studies on its impact on biomarkers of oxidative stress remains insufficient. 300 pregnant women from the SEPAGES cohort (France) carried personal PM 2.5 samplers for a week and OP was measured using ascorbic acid (AA) and dithiothreitol (DTT) assays, and normalized by 1) PM 2.5 mass (OP m ) and 2) sampled air volume (OP v ). A pool of three urine spots collected on the 7th day of PM sampling was analyzed for biomarkers, namely 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-isoprostaglandin-F2α (8-isoPGF2α). Associations were investigated using adjusted multiple linear regressions. OP effects were additionally investigated by stratifying by median PM 2.5 concentration (14 μg m -3 ). In the main models, no association was observed with 8-isoPGF2α, nor MDA. An interquartile range (IQR) increase in OP m AA exposure was associated with increased 8-OHdG (percent change: 6.2 %; 95 % CI: 0.2 % to 12.6 %). In the stratified analysis, exposure to OP m AA was associated with 8-OHdG for participants exposed to low levels of PM 2.5 (percent change: 11.4 %; 95 % CI: 3.3 % to 20.1 %), but not for those exposed to high levels (percent change: -1.0 %; 95 % CI: -10.6 % to 9.6 %). Associations for OP m DTT also followed a similar pattern (p-values for OP m AA -PM and OP m DTT -PM interaction terms were 0.12 and 0.11, respectively). Overall, our findings suggest that OP m AA may be associated with increased DNA oxidative damage. This association was not observed with PM 2.5 mass concentration exposure. The effects of OP m AA in 8-OHdG tended to be stronger at lower (below median) vs. higher concentrations of PM 2.5 . Further epidemiological, toxicological and aerosol research are needed to further investigate the OP m AA effects on 8-OHdG and the potential modifying effect of PM mass concentration on this association., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Fine particulate matter ( PM 2.5 ) has been found to be detrimental to respiratory health of children, but few studies have examined the effects of prenatal PM 2.5 oxidative potential (OP) on lung function in infants and preschool children., Objectives: We estimated the associations of personal exposure to PM 2.5 and OP during pregnancy on offspring objective lung function parameters and compared the strengths of associations between both exposure metrics., Methods: We used data from 356 mother-child pairs from the SEPAGES cohort. PM filters collected twice during a week were analyzed for OP, using the dithiothreitol (DTT) and the ascorbic acid (AA) assays, quantifying the exposure of each pregnant woman. Lung function was assessed with tidal breathing analysis (TBFVL) and nitrogen multiple-breath washout ( N 2 MBW ) test, performed at 6 wk, and airwave oscillometry (AOS) performed at 3 y. Associations of prenatal PM 2.5 mass and OP with lung function parameters were estimated using multiple linear regressions., Results: In neonates, an interquartile (IQR) increase in OP v DTT ( 0.89  nmol / min / m 3 ) was associated with a decrease in functional residual capacity (FRC) measured by N 2 MBW [ β = - 2.26 mL ; 95% confidence interval (CI): - 4.68 , 0.15]. Associations with PM 2.5 showed similar patterns in comparison with OP v DTT but of smaller magnitude. Lung clearance index (LCI) and TBFVL parameters did not show any clear association with the exposures considered. At 3 y, increased frequency-dependent resistance of the lungs ( Rrs 7 - 19 ) from AOS tended to be associated with higher OP v DTT ( β = 0.09  hPa × s / L ; 95% CI: - 0.06 , 0.24) and OP v AA ( IQR = 1.14  nmol / min / m 3 ; β = 0.12  hPa × s / L ; 95% CI: - 0.04 , 0.27) but not with PM 2.5 ( IQR = 6.9   μ g / m 3 ; β = 0.02  hPa × s / L ; 95% CI: - 0.13 , 0.16). Results for FRC and Rrs 7 - 19 remained similar in OP models adjusted on PM 2.5 ., Discussion: Prenatal exposure to OP v DTT was associated with several offspring lung function parameters over time, all related to lung volumes. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11155.