Oxidant Generation and Toxicity in Human A549 Lung Epithelial Cells by Size-Fractionated Atmospheric Particles

To understand the pollution characteristics of atmospheric particles and heavy metals in winter in Chang-Zhu-Tan city clusters, China, total suspended particulate (TSP) and PM10 samples were collected in cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan from December 2011 to January 2012, and heavy metals of Cd, Pb, Cr, and As were analyzed. It shows that the average TSP concentration in Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan were (183 ± 73), (201 ± 84) and (190 ± 66) μg/m3 respectively, and the average PM10 were (171 ± 82), (178 ± 65) and (179 ± 55) μg/m3 respectively. The lowest TSP and PM10 concentrations occurred at the background Shaping site of Changsha. The average ratio of ρ(PM10)/ρ(TSP) was 91.9%, ranging from 81.3% to 98.9%. Concerning heavy metals, in TSP samples, the concentration of Cr, As, Cd and Pb were 28.8–56.5, 18.1–76.3, 3.9–26.1 and 148.0–460.9 ng/m3 respectively, while in PM10 samples, were 16.4–42.1, 15.5–67.9, 3.3–22.2 and 127.9–389.3 ng/m3 respectively. The enrichment factor of Cd was the highest, followed by Pb and As, while that of Cr was the lowest.