Impact of altitude on the dosage of indoor particulates entering an individual’s small airways

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 468; p. 133856
• Main Authors: Li, Yifan, Frandsen, Kirstine M., Guo, Weiqi, Lu, Yiran, Hvelplund, Malthe H., Suolang, Baimu, Xi, Ziang, Duan, Mengjie, Liu, Li
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15-04-2024
• Subjects: Air Pollutants - analysis; Air Pollution, Indoor - analysis; Altitude; Dosimetry; Dust; Environmental Monitoring - methods; High-altitude; Humans; In vitro respiratory tract model; Inhalation exposure; Minerals; Particle Size; Particulate Matter - analysis; Inhalation exposure; Dosimetry; In vitro respiratory tract model; High-altitude
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133856

The complexity of indoor particulate exposure intensifies at higher altitudes owing to the increased lung capacity that residents develop to meet the higher oxygen demands. Altitude variations impact atmospheric pressure and alter particulate dynamics in ambient air and the human respiratory tract, complicating particulate inhalation. This study assessed the fraction of PM2.5 and PM10 entering small airways. This assessment covered an altitude range from 400 m above sea level to 3650 m, and an in vitro respiratory tract model was used. The experimental results confirmed that with increasing altitude, the penetration fractions of PM2.5 and PM10 significantly increased from 0.133 ± 0.031 and 0.141 ± 0.045 to 0.404 ± 0.159 and 0.353 ± 0.132, respectively. Additionally, the computational fluid dynamics simulation results revealed that among particles with sizes of 0.1 to 10 µm, the 7.5-μm particles exhibited the most substantial reduction in deposition in the upper airway, displaying a decrease of 6.27%. Our findings underscore the health risks faced by low-altitude residents during acclimatization to higher altitudes, as they experience heightened exposure to particulate matter sources.
[Display omitted]
•At high altitudes, cooking fume PM2.5 exhibit penetration fractions of 0.404 ± 0.159.•The penetration fractions of PM2.5 and PM10 increased markedly from 400 m to 3650 m.•Atmospheric pressure primarily caused the change of particle penetration.