Synthesis of large-scale source apportionment of oxidative potential at 15 sites in France

Abstract

International audienceAtmospheric ambient particulate matter (PM) is linked to diverse health outcomes such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and increased cancer risk. Although PM present a wide span of size, shape, chemical composition and so sanitary impacts, epidemiological studies usually focus on PM mass concentrations only. The oxidative potential (OP) of PM has been proposed as a new proxy for air quality in order to better estimate the population exposure since it integrates the different PM characteristic and is closely linked to the inflammatory response of the body to the oxidative stress induced by PM. However, long time-series of OP measurement are still limited in the literature and no standardized assays has emerged. Moreover, very few source apportionment studies of OP have been conducted yet