Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
23 Health Effects of Aerosols
Mechanisms and Epidemiology
Ira B. Tager
CONTENTS
23.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 565
23.2 Characteristics of Outdoor (Ambient) and Indoor Aerosol Sources of Importance to
Human Health....................................................................................................................... 566
23.2.1 Outdoor Aerosol ....................................................................................................... 566
23.2.2 Indoor Aerosol .......................................................................................................... 569
23.3 Deposition and Clearance of Aerosols from the Human Respiratory Tract......................... 571
23.3.1 Deposition and Retention.......................................................................................... 571
23.3.2 Clearance .................................................................................................................. 576
23.4 Mechanisms of Toxicity of Aerosol Components................................................................. 578
23.4.1 Particle Aerosol Induction of Oxidative Damage..................................................... 579
23.4.2 Particle Aerosol Induction of Inlammation ............................................................. 581
23.5 Human Health Effects Associated with Ambient PM.......................................................... 585
23.5.1 General Introduction................................................................................................. 585
23.5.2 Sources of PM Aerosol and Human Health Effects ................................................. 587
23.5.3 Health Effects Associated with Chronic Exposure to PM ....................................... 593
23.5.3.1 Effects of Exposure to Ambient PM and Birth Outcomes ........................ 593
23.5.3.2 Increased Mortality Related to Long-Term Exposure to PM Aerosol....... 596
23.5.3.3 Atopic Allergy and Asthma .......................................................................600
23.5.3.4 Cancer ........................................................................................................ 603
23.5.4 Health Effects Associated with Acute and Subacute Exposures to PM ................... 603
23.5.4.1 Mortality ....................................................................................................604
23.5.4.2 Physiological Mechanisms Related to the Association of Daily
Changes in PM and Daily Mortality.......................................................... 617
23.6 Conclusions........................................................................................................................... 622
References...................................................................................................................................... 622
23.1  INTRODUCTION
Health effects have been associated with a variety of aerosol components commonly encountered
in the environments of people. The body of published data on the characterization (sources, com-
position, environmental transformations, and fate) of health-relevant aerosols is extensive as is the
literature related to aerosol-speciic health effects. Therefore, this chapter will discuss only selected,
broad categories of health-relevant aerosols: aerosols derived from combustion processes and aero-
sols composed of biological materials that are encountered in ambient and/or indoor environments
565
 
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