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Smoldering and flaming biomass wood smoke inhibit respiratory responses in mice.

ABSTRACT: Background: Acute and chronic exposures to biomass wildfire smoke pose significant health risks to firefighters and impacted communities. Susceptible populations such as asthmatics may be particularly sensitive to wildfire effects. We examined pulmonary responses to biomass smoke generated from combustion of peat, oak, or eucalyptus in control and house dust mite (HDM)-allergic mice. Methods: Mice were exposed 1?h/d for 2 consecutive days to emissions from each fuel type under smoldering or flaming conditions (?40 or ?3.3?mg PM/m3, respectively) while maintaining comparable CO levels (?60-120?ppm). Results: Control and allergic mice reduced breathing frequency during exposure to all biomass emissions compared with pre-exposure to clean air. Smoldering eucalyptus and oak, but not peat, further reduced frequency compared to flaming conditions in control and allergic groups, while also reducing minute volume and peak inspiratory flow in control mice. Several biochemical and cellular markers of lung injury and inflammation were suppressed by all biomass emission types in both HDM-allergic and control mice. Control mice exposed to flaming eucalyptus at different PM concentrations (C) and times (T) with the same C?×?T product had a greater decrease in breathing frequency with high concentration acute exposure compared with lower concentration episodic exposure. This decrease was ameliorated by PM HEPA filtration, indicating that the respiratory changes were partially mediated by biomass smoke particles. Conclusion: These data show that exposure to smoldering eucalyptus or oak smoke inhibits respiratory responses to a greater degree than peat smoke. Anti-inflammatory effects of CO may possibly contribute to smoke-induced suppression of allergic inflammatory responses.

SUBMITTER: Hargrove MM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6993956 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Smoldering and flaming biomass wood smoke inhibit respiratory responses in mice.

Hargrove Marie McGee MM Kim Yong Ho YH King Charly C Wood Charles E CE Gilmour M Ian MI Dye Janice A JA Gavett Stephen H SH

Inhalation toxicology 20190501 6

<b>Background:</b> Acute and chronic exposures to biomass wildfire smoke pose significant health risks to firefighters and impacted communities. Susceptible populations such as asthmatics may be particularly sensitive to wildfire effects. We examined pulmonary responses to biomass smoke generated from combustion of peat, oak, or eucalyptus in control and house dust mite (HDM)-allergic mice. <b>Methods:</b> Mice were exposed 1 h/d for 2 consecutive days to emissions from each fuel type under smol ...[more]

PMID: 31431109

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Project description:BackgroundThe increasing size and frequency of wildland fires are leading to greater potential for cardiopulmonary disease and cancer in exposed populations; however, little is known about how the types of fuel and combustion phases affect these adverse outcomes.ObjectivesWe evaluated the mutagenicity and lung toxicity of particulate matter (PM) from flaming vs. smoldering phases of five biomass fuels, and compared results by equal mass or emission factors (EFs) derived from amount of fuel consumed.MethodsA quartz-tube furnace coupled to a multistage cryotrap was employed to collect smoke condensate from flaming and smoldering combustion of red oak, peat, pine needles, pine, and eucalyptus. Samples were analyzed chemically and assessed for acute lung toxicity in mice and mutagenicity in Salmonella.ResultsThe average combustion efficiency was 73 and 98% for the smoldering and flaming phases, respectively. On an equal mass basis, PM from eucalyptus and peat burned under flaming conditions induced significant lung toxicity potencies (neutrophil/mass of PM) compared to smoldering PM, whereas high levels of mutagenicity potencies were observed for flaming pine and peat PM compared to smoldering PM. When effects were adjusted for EF, the smoldering eucalyptus PM had the highest lung toxicity EF (neutrophil/mass of fuel burned), whereas smoldering pine and pine needles had the highest mutagenicity EF. These latter values were approximately 5, 10, and 30 times greater than those reported for open burning of agricultural plastic, woodburning cookstoves, and some municipal waste combustors, respectively.ConclusionsPM from different fuels and combustion phases have appreciable differences in lung toxic and mutagenic potency, and on a mass basis, flaming samples are more active, whereas smoldering samples have greater effect when EFs are taken into account. Knowledge of the differential toxicity of biomass emissions will contribute to more accurate hazard assessment of biomass smoke exposures. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2200.

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Smoldering and flaming biomass wood smoke inhibit respiratory responses in mice.

Publications

Smoldering and flaming biomass wood smoke inhibit respiratory responses in mice.

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