Research project Chemical profiling and toxicological assessment of organic aerosols from traffic
Chemical profiling and toxicological assessment of organic aerosols from traffic - Necessary knowledge for improved risk assessments and regulations.
Air pollution, which include hazardous gases and particles, causes staggering economical losses and is the largest environmental health risk factor for disease and pre-mature death. Road traffic is a large source to particles, black carbon and hazardous polycyclic aromatic compounds, and is thought to be responsible for a substantial portion of the total pre-mature deaths caused by particles. Vehicular particle emissions comprise tail-pipe emissions, different wear particles and road dust re-suspension.
Project description
Research on vehicular emissions is mostly conducted on a single vehicle or a single engine whose emissions are difficult to extrapolate to the diverse vehicle fleet actually running on the roads. To address this issue, this project will conduct sampling of collectively emitted traffic related PM10 and PM2.5 close to a heavily trafficked highway for the timespan of a whole year.
The organic fraction present on the collected particles will be characterized using nontarget analytical chemical methods using complementary instrumental techniques to obtain a comprehensive chemical profile of the organic fraction emitted from vehicular traffic. Combined chemical analyses and in vitro assays will be made to identify health relevant traffic related organic chemical compounds.
In order reduce the negative health impact from road traffic emissions it is of necessity to understand the composition of these emissions and the health risks associated with those emissions.
Project members
Project managers
Ioannis Sadiktsis
Researcher
Members
Kristian Dreij
Associate Professor
Oskar Karlsson
Professor