In Situ and Rapid Toxicity Assessment of Air Pollution by Self-Assembly Passive Colonization Hydrogel

Air pollution is a leading environmental health risk factor, and in situ toxicity assessment is urgently needed. Bacteria-based bioassays offer cost-effective and rapid toxicity assessments. However, the application of these bioassays for air toxicity assessment has been challenging, due to the instability of bacterial survival and functionality when directly exposed to air pollutants. Here, we developed an approach employing self-assembly passive colonization hydrogel (SAPCH) for in situ air toxicity assessment. The SAPCH features a core–shell structure, enabling the quantitatively immobilization of bacteria on its shell while continuously provides nutrients from its core. An antimicrobial polyelectrolyte layer between the core and shell confines bacteria to the air–liquid interface, synchronizing bacterial survival with exposure to air pollutants. The SAPCH immobilized a battery of natural and recombinant luminescent bacteria, enabling simultaneous detection of various toxicological endpoints (cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oxidative stress) of air pollutants within 2 h. Its sensitivity was 3–5 orders of magnitude greater than that of traditional liquid-phase toxicity testing, and successfully evaluating the toxicity of volatile organic compounds and combustion smoke. This study presents a method for in situ, rapid, and economical toxicity assessment of air pollution, making a significant contribution to future air quality monitoring and control.