AUTHOR=Edebeli Jacinta , Spirig Curdin , Fluck Stefan , Fierz Martin , Anet Julien 

TITLE=Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of Lung-Deposited Surface Area in Zurich Switzerland: Lung-Deposited Surface Area as a New Routine Metric for Ambient Particle Monitoring

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=68

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605879

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1605879

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Objective:</bold> To assess the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of lung-deposited particle surface area concentration (LDSA), while testing the long-term performance of a prototype of low-cost-low-maintenance LDSA sensors. One factor hampering epidemiological studies on fine to ultrafine particles (F-to-UFP) exposure is exposure error due to their high spatiotemporal heterogeneity, not reflected in particle mass. Though LDSA shows consistent associations between F-to-UFP exposure and health effects, LDSA data are limited.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> We measured LDSA in a network of ten sensors, including urban, suburban, and rural environments in Zurich, Switzerland. With traffic counts, traffic co-pollutant concentrations, and meteorological parameters, we assessed the drivers of the LDSA observations.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> LDSA reflected the high spatiotemporal heterogeneity of F-to-UFP. With micrometeorological influences, local sources like road traffic, restaurants, air traffic, and residential combustion drove LDSA. The temporal pattern of LDSA reflected that of the local sources.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> LDSA may be a viable metric for inexpensively characterizing F-to-UFP exposure. The tested devices generated sound data and may significantly contribute to filling the LDSA exposure data gap, providing grounds for more statistically significant epidemiological studies and regulation of F-to-UFP.</p>