Association of the mutagenicity of airborne particles with the direct emission from combustion processes investigated in Osaka, Japan

The association of the direct-acting mutagenicity of soluble organic fraction of airborne particles toward Salmonella typhimurium YG1024 strain with the direct emission was investigated at a roadside and at a residential area in Osaka, Japan. The direct-acting mutagenicity was evaluated as mutagenic activity per unit volume of ambient air (rev m−3) and/or that per airborne particulate weight collected on a filter (rev mg−1). The annual or diurnal changes of the mutagenicity of airborne particles at the residential site showed similar patterns to those of some gaseous pollutants such as NO2 and SO2, which were emitted from combustion processes. This result indicates that the mutagenicity is mainly attributable to the primary emissions. From the analysis of the relationship between the wind sector and the mutagenic intensity, rev m−3 and rev mg−1 values were strongly affected by the emissions from the fixed sources and from the mobile sources, respectively. The rev m−3 value and concentration of 1-nitropyrene (1-NP) in unit per m3 at the roadside were a factor of 2.6 and 2.8 higher than those at the residential site, respectively, but the rev mg−1 value and concentration of 1-NP in unit per mg at the roadside were substantially comparable to those at the residential area. These observations suggest that the characteristics of the airborne particles can be attributed to the automotive emissions even at the suburban area.