Aerosol Exposure and Inhalation Toxicity from Emerging Sources

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 6034

Special Issue Editors

Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Interests: formation mechanism and measuring aerosol exposure in workplaces; examining the pulmonary toxicity of aerosols; developing the next generation engineering detection and control to reduce occupation

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Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
Interests: airborne particulate matter (aerosol) related environmental and occupational health; aerosol; fibers; airborne nanomaterials; ultrafine particles; environmental and occupational health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In today’s fast-changing world, emission sources of airborne particles in the environment have evolved alongside the emerging technologies or scenarios, such as nanomaterial applications and advanced manufacturing. Exposure to particulates can lead to serious adverse health effects for those that inhale them. It is critical to understand the chemical, physical, and biological aspects of particles from these new sources, as well as to assess respiratory deposition, oxidative stress, inflammation, and other cellular and systematic toxicity effects after inhalation. This Special Issue aims to attract articles of a high academic standard with an emphasis on emission characterization and/or toxicological studies of aerosols from the following emerging sources:

  • Nanomaterial manufacturing and handling.
  • Electronic cigarettes, hookah, and other non-combustion tobacco products.
  • Processes that involve the emission of respirable crystalline silica.
  • Consumer and commercial grade 3D printing, laser cutting, etc.
  • Other types of advanced manufacturing, especially with metals.

Dr. Jun Wang
Dr. Wei-Chung Su
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • occupational exposure
  • aerosol emission
  • respiratory deposition
  • pulmonary toxicity
  • emerging sources
  • advanced manufacturing
  • respirable crystalline silica
  • nanomaterial safety
  • electronic cigarettes
  • metals

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 2606 KiB  
Article
Particulate Matter Induced Adverse Effects on Eye Development in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Embryos
by Dalawalla G. Charith E. Priyadarshana, Jayeon Cheon, Yoonsung Lee and Seon-Heui Cha
Toxics 2024, 12(1), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12010059 - 11 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1025
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) can cause human diseases, particularly respiratory diseases. Since eyes are directly exposed to the air, they might be directly adversely affected by PM. Therefore, we determined the toxicity caused to eye development by PM using zebrafish (Danio rerio) [...] Read more.
Particulate matter (PM) can cause human diseases, particularly respiratory diseases. Since eyes are directly exposed to the air, they might be directly adversely affected by PM. Therefore, we determined the toxicity caused to eye development by PM using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. The PM-induced embryo toxicity was dependent on dose and time and caused significant morphological defects, reducing the total body length and the total eye area. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction was confirmed in the PM treatment group, and antioxidant genes (cat and sod2), photoreceptor cell development, pigmentation genes (atoh8, vsx1, and rho), eye-embryogenesis genes (pax6a and pax6b), and eye-lens-development genes (cryaa) were downregulated, while eye-development genes (crybb1) were upregulated. In conclusion, PM had a direct adverse effect on the eyes, and zebrafish embryos can be used as a model to evaluate PM-induced eye toxicity in vivo. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Exposure and Inhalation Toxicity from Emerging Sources)
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10 pages, 2995 KiB  
Article
Cytotoxicity and Characterization of Ultrafine Particles from Desktop Three-Dimensional Printers with Multiple Filaments
by Runcheng Fang, Afzaal Nadeem Mohammed, Jagjit Singh Yadav and Jun Wang
Toxics 2023, 11(9), 720; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11090720 - 22 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1204
Abstract
Previous research has indicated that ultrafine particles (UFPs, particles less than 100 nm) emitted from desktop three-dimensional (3D) printers exhibit cytotoxicity. However, only a limited number of particles from different filaments and their combinations have been tested for cytotoxicity. This study quantified the [...] Read more.
Previous research has indicated that ultrafine particles (UFPs, particles less than 100 nm) emitted from desktop three-dimensional (3D) printers exhibit cytotoxicity. However, only a limited number of particles from different filaments and their combinations have been tested for cytotoxicity. This study quantified the emissions of UFPs from a commercially available filament extrusion desktop 3D printer using three different filaments, including acrylonitrile butadiene Styrene (ABS), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). In this study, controlled experiments were conducted where the particles emitted were used to expose cells grown in an air-liquid interface (ALI) system. The ALI exposures were utilized for in vitro characterization of particle mixtures, including UFPs from a 3D printer. Additionally, a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of these UFPs. A549 cells were exposed at the ALI to UFPs generated by an operational 3D printer for an average of 45 and 90 min. Twenty-four hours post-exposure, the cells were analyzed for percent cytotoxicity in a 24-well ALI insert (LDH assay). UFP exposure resulted in diminished cell viability, as evidenced by significantly increased LDH levels. The findings demonstrate that ABS has the most significant particle emission. ABS was the only filament that showed a significant difference compared to the high efficiency particulate arrestance (HEPA) following 90 min of exposure (p-value < 0.05). Both ABS and PETG exhibited a significant difference compared to the HEPA control after 45 min of exposure. A preliminary analysis of potential exposure to these products in a typical environment advises caution when operating multiple printer and filament combinations in poorly ventilated spaces or without combined gas and particle filtration systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Exposure and Inhalation Toxicity from Emerging Sources)
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18 pages, 2162 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Health Risks Caused by Metals Contained in E-Cigarette Aerosol through Passive Vaping
by Wei-Chung Su, Jinho Lee, Kai Zhang, Su-Wei Wong and Anne Buu
Toxics 2023, 11(8), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11080684 - 9 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2123
Abstract
It is expected that secondary exposure to e-cigarette aerosol (passive vaping) will soon become an issue of public health. Passive vaping inhales e-cigarette aerosol containing similar harmful substances as active vaping. However, parallel studies on passive vaping are minimal. Therefore, there is a [...] Read more.
It is expected that secondary exposure to e-cigarette aerosol (passive vaping) will soon become an issue of public health. Passive vaping inhales e-cigarette aerosol containing similar harmful substances as active vaping. However, parallel studies on passive vaping are minimal. Therefore, there is a need for passive vaping-related health risk studies to assess the impact of vaping on public health. This research conducted a series of experiments in a room using a puffing machine and the Mobile Aerosol Lung Deposition Apparatus (MALDA) to study e-cigarette aerosol respiratory deposition through passive vaping. The experimental data acquired were applied to estimate the deposited mass and health risks caused by toxic metals contained in e-cigarette aerosol. Five popular e-cigarette products were used in this study to generate e-cigarette aerosol for deposition experiments. In addition, size-segregated e-cigarette aerosol samples were collected, and metal compositions in the e-cigarette aerosol were analyzed. Results obtained showed that estimated non-cancer risks were all acceptable, with hazard quotient and hazard index all less than 1.0. The calculated cancer risks were also found acceptable, with lifetime excess cancer risk generally less than 1E-6. Therefore, the e-cigarettes tested and the passive vaping exposure scenarios studied do not seem to induce any potential for metal-related respiratory health effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Exposure and Inhalation Toxicity from Emerging Sources)
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15 pages, 724 KiB  
Article
Changes in Biomarkers of Exposure and Potential Harm in Smokers Switched to Vuse Vibe or Vuse Ciro Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems
by Milly N. Kanobe, Paul R. Nelson, Buddy G. Brown, Peter Chen, Patrudu Makena, John W. Caraway, Gaddamanugu L. Prasad and Elaine K. Round
Toxics 2023, 11(7), 564; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11070564 - 29 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1222
Abstract
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have the potential to provide nicotine to tobacco consumers while reducing exposure to combustion-related toxicants. Here, we report changes in biomarkers of exposure (BoE) and biomarkers of potential harm (BoPH) in smokers who completely switched to Vuse Vibe [...] Read more.
Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have the potential to provide nicotine to tobacco consumers while reducing exposure to combustion-related toxicants. Here, we report changes in biomarkers of exposure (BoE) and biomarkers of potential harm (BoPH) in smokers who completely switched to Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro ENDS products, or to smoking abstinence in a randomized, controlled clinical study. Thirteen BoE (12 urinary and one blood) that indicate exposure to harmful and potentially harmful toxicants (HPHCs) were evaluated at baseline on day 5. Urinary BoPH linked to oxidative stress, platelet activation, and inflammation were also assessed at baseline, and on day 5 and day 7. Nicotine exposure was lower in Vuse Vibe and Vuse Ciro groups compared to baseline values. Urinary non-nicotine BoE decreased significantly (52.3–96.7%) in the Vuse ENDS groups, and the reductions were similar in magnitude to those observed in the abstinence group. Blood carboxyhemoglobin decreased 52.8–55.0% in all study groups. Decreases (10–50%) in BoPH were observed in all study groups. Thus, smokers who switch exclusively to Vuse Vibe or Vuse Ciro products or completely abstain from smoking are exposed to substantially lower levels of HPHCs, and experience improvements in BoPH of oxidative stress and inflammation pathways. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Exposure and Inhalation Toxicity from Emerging Sources)
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