Grants and Fellowships | 2014

18 Multi-Year Research Grants Characterization and Source Apportions of Local and Foreign PM 2.5 in Israel Under Different Synoptic Conditions The Middle East is one of the regions in the world where relatively high concentrations of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) have been detected frequently. It has been suggested that PM levels in the Middle East are present at levels that lead to adverse health effects and to poor visibility. The hypothesis underlying this study is that the integration of meteorological conditions with detailed characterization of aerosol composition and sources is crucial for the evaluation of the health effect of aerosols and for developing strategies and standards to protect the public from air pollution. The two research aims were: (1) to develop source receptor relationships for PM 2.5 in Israel that can be related both to the physical origin of sources and specific sources for local air pollution; and (2) to understand how meteorological analysis of air pollution can sufficiently classify air pollution sources and composition to provide a cost effective metric to use in epidemiological studies. The synoptic conditions prevailing in Israel allowed us to characterize the composition and properties of atmospheric PM. This was done in conjunction with detailed analysis of air masses movements and transport models. In the summer, during Persian Trough conditions PM concentrations are lowest, the ratio of PM 2.5 /PM 10 is highest, the spatial and temporal variations are relatively low, and toxic metal concentrations (As, V) are highest. In contrast, during dust storms prevailing in the fall, in the spring, and in the winter PM concentrations vary a lot, PM 2.5 /PM 10 ratio is lowest, and most of the toxic metals are from urban sources located en-route of the air masses. From a public health perspective, our finding highlights the fact that in Israel when PM concentrations are lowest their health impact is not necessarily low because of their higher toxicity levels. In order to minimize the adverse public health effects of atmospheric PM by exposure management, there is a need for a greater understanding of mechanisms of atmospheric PM toxicity. For this purpose bioassay techniques were utilized and a reporter panel of 10 genetically engineered bacterial (Escherichia coli) strains was composed. Each panel member was designed to report on a different stress condition with a measurable light signal produced by the luciferase enzyme. The reporter panel approach, as demonstrated in this study’s results, has the potential of providing novel insights as to the mechanisms of atmospheric PM toxicity. Furthermore, combining the panel’s results with bioavailability data can enlighten the role of different PM components in the observed toxicity. Research publications (1) Dayan, U., Erel, Y., Shpund, J., Kordova, L., Wanger, A., & Schauer, J.J. (2011). The impact of local sources and meteorological factors on nitrogen oxide and particulate matter concentrations: A case study of the Day of Atonement in Israel. Atmospheric Environment, 45 , 3325-3332. (2) Kessler, N., Schauer, J.,Yagur-Kroll, S., Melamed, S., Tirosh, O., Belkin, S., & Erel,Y. (2012). A bacterial bioreporter panel to assay the cytotoxicity of atmospheric particulate matter. Atmospheric Environment, 63 , 94-101. (3) Erel, Y., Tirosh, O., Kessler, O., Dayan, U., Belkin, S., Stein, M., Sandler, A., & Schauer, J.J. (2013). Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in the Middle East: Toxicity, trans-boundary transport, and influence of synoptic conditions. In  P. Censi, T.H. Darrah, & Y. Erel (Eds.), Medical geochemistry - geological materials and health . Springer. Yigal Erel 1 | Uri Dayan 1 James Schauer 2 Levana Kordova 3 | Arye Wanger 4 1. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 2. University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA 3. Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection 4. Adam Teva VaDin (IUED) 2008-2012