Exposure to atmospheric particles: link between physico-chemical characterization and impact on health

Summary

Whether in outdoor or indoor air, particles are ubiquitous pollutants that play a decisive role in the toxicity of air pollution. A better understanding of this type of pollutant and its toxicity is therefore a real public health issue. At present, international recommendations focus on 2 parameters: size and concentration. However, recent studies have shown that other physico-chemical parameters can influence their health effects.

 In this context, the aims of this project were: (1) to evaluate methods for sampling and characterising particles, (2) to analyse the most recent data on their health effects, (3) to define the relevance of physico-chemical characteristics other than size, and (4) to study the links between these characteristics and health effects. The latest advances in more global parameters (e.g. oxidative potential) were also studied.
 Finally, recommendations for assessing the health risks of particulate matter (ERS methods, EQIS, etc.) were put forward. This work was the subject of a very detailed literature review, which was supplemented by a complementary process of expert opinion.