Health impact assessment from exposure to trace metals present in atmospheric PM10 at Ahmedabad, a big city in western India.

Many toxicological studies revealed the deleterious effects on human health induced by trace metals in ambient particulate matter (PM). This study reports the season-dependent water-soluble and total metal mass in PM10 collected simultaneously over five microenvironments in a semi-arid urban region, Ahmedabad, located in western India. The mineral dust fraction in PM10 over Bapunagar, Narol, Paldi, Income Tax, and Science City was estimated to be around 39, 45, 47, 44, and 31% during summer (May-June 2017) and 24, 55, 28, 27, and 28% during winter (December 2017-January 2018), respectively, corroborating mineral dust is perennial in the air over Ahmedabad. The PM2.5/PM10 mass ratios over all the sites were higher during winter (40-60%) as compared to those during summer (30-40%), indicating the contribution from the anthropogenic sources to PM mass. Among the metals monitored, the estimated considerable amount of high masses of Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd, and Sb during winter can be ascribed to the anthropogenic inputs based on the estimated enrichment factors (EF). In contrast to the crustal source, these metals might have been possibly emitted from several other man-made sources, which were found to be more water-soluble during both seasons. As per the standards of incremental excess lifetime cancer risk (IELCR), it is estimated that the atmospheric mass concentration of carcinogenic metals such as Cr, Co, and As was higher in all these sites, whereas the metals such as Pb, Ni, and Cd are also found over the industrial site (Narol) in addition to the above-said metals. Notably, people are highly susceptible to these metals, leading to the potential risk of cancer during both seasons.

Alcohol and Periodontal Disease: A Narrative Review.

The scientific literature dealing with alcohol and alcoholic beverages revealed that these drinks possess an adverse impact on periodontal tissues. Additionally, other principal risk factors include tobacco, smoking, poor oral hygiene, etc. It has been observed that among chronic alcoholics, there are further issues, such as mental, social, and physical effects, that promote alcoholism. These people may have weak immunity for defense against pathogenic organisms and bacteria. Thus, chances of gingival bleeding, swollen gums, bad breath, and increased bone loss are there. Different alcoholic beverages in the market cause less salivation; these beverages contain sugars that promote acid production in the oral cavity by pathogens that demineralize the enamel and damage gum and teeth. This chronic alcohol consumption can progress into different types of oral disorders, including cancer, halitosis, and caries, and is also associated with tobacco and smoking. Chronic alcohol consumption can cause alteration of the oral microbiome and increase oral pathogens, which lead to periodontal disease and an environment of inflammation created in the body due to malnutrition, diminished immunity, altered liver condition, brain damage, and gut microbiota alteration. Heavily colored alcoholic beverages produce staining on teeth and, due to less saliva, may cause other toxic effects on the periodontium. Over-dependency on alcohol leads to necrotizing lesions such as necrotizing gingivitis, necrotizing periodontitis, and necrotizing stomatitis. These pathological impairments instigate severe damage to oral structures. Therefore, proper counseling by the attending dental surgeon and related health professionals is urgently required for the patient on the basis that the individual case needs to go away from the regular heavy consumption of alcohol.

Oxidative potential of atmospheric PM10 at five different sites of Ahmedabad, a big city in Western India.

The current study presents the oxidative potential (OP) along with a wide range of chemical speciation of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm (PM10) at five sites representing different environments in Ahmedabad, a big city in western India. On an average, PM10 concentrations were 116 ± 36, 228 ± 43, 133 ± 29, 101 ± 21, and 70 ± 20 µg m-3; volume-normalized OP (OPV) were 2.51 ± 0.71, 5.62 ± 0.68, 2.69 ± 0.76, 2.14 ± 0.41, and 1.55 ± 0.51 nmol DTT min-1 m-3; and mass-normalized OP (OPM) were 22 ± 3, 25 ± 5, 21 ± 6, 21 ± 2, and 22 ± 3 pmol DTT min-1 µg-1 over Bapunagar (backward residential area), Narol (industrial), Paldi (bus transport hub), Income Tax (huge running traffic) and Science City (posh residential area), respectively. Overall, OPV showed a significant linear correlation with PM10, whereas OPM showed near uniformity with increasing PM10. Although the OPM values were similar, the site-to-site variability in PM10 concentration reflects the corresponding health risks associated with PM10 exposure for the people living in these areas. Further, a noticeable temporal variation in OPM at Narol and Paldi suggests that species with diverse OPM contributed to PM10 on different days. A strong linear relationship between the ratio of OPV to the mass concentration of organic carbon (OPOC) and the ratio of m/z 43 signal to total water-soluble organic aerosols (WSOA) signals (f43) suggests that the fossil-fuel combustion derived WSOA have higher OP. Furthermore, the relationships of OP with water-soluble trace metals and brown carbon are also investigated and discussed in this paper. Nitrogenous organic compounds particularly emitted from the traffic-related sources in Paldi and Income Tax have higher OPOC than those emitted from other sources over Bapunagar, Narol, and Science City.