Search for: All records

Abstract Most fine ambient particulate matter (PM_2.5)-based epidemiological models use globalized concentration-response (CR) functions assuming that the toxicity of PM_2.5is solely mass-dependent without considering its chemical composition. Although oxidative potential (OP) has emerged as an alternate metric of PM_2.5toxicity, the association between PM_2.5mass and OP on a large spatial extent has not been investigated. In this study, we evaluate this relationship using 385 PM_2.5samples collected from 14 different sites across 4 different continents and using 5 different OP (and cytotoxicity) endpoints. Our results show that the relationship between PM_2.5mass vs. OP (and cytotoxicity) is largely non-linear due to significant differences in the intrinsic toxicity, resulting from a spatially heterogeneous chemical composition of PM_2.5. These results emphasize the need to develop localized CR functions incorporating other measures of PM_2.5properties (e.g., OP) to better predict the PM_2.5-attributed health burdens. 

The MGO symposium was held on February 18th with seven featured speakers from all over the globe. Drs. Bin Zhang and Alexey Onufriev chaired the session with Drs. Yamini Dalal and Anna Panchenko as the 2022 MGO co-chairs. The session and goals of the MGO subgroup were introduced by Dr. Panchenko, followed by talks from the invited speakers. The presentations showcased research at the forefront of the field and elicited high audience engagement. Here, we summarize the presentations of these invited speakers.