Aerosol dynamics and health: strategies to reduce exposure and harm

The term 'air pollution' is used to describe the presence of chemicals or materials in the atmosphere that produce poor air quality. Air pollutants may be classified into four principal categories which include anthropogenic (man-made; e.g. combustion products), biogenic (biological; e.g. pollen, allergens), technogenic (technology; e.g. metal aerosols or smelter) and geogenic (geological; e.g. erosion of earth, i.e. minerals, volcanic ash). From these categories are derived the seven main pollutants of human health concern, i.e. carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulphur dioxide, hydrocarbons, lead, and particulate matter (PM). The common provenance of all these emissions is from the combustion of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, petrol and diesel), biomass (e.g. cooking) and tobacco smoke. PM is now considered to be the most precarious of pollutants, with the combustion-derived nano-particles being linked to a myriad of premature and excess deaths world-wide; especially for persons with pre-existing cardiovascular disorders. This meeting intended to bring together scientists from a host of disciplines (toxicologists, biologists, chemists, physicists and material scientists) that work at the bio-particulate interface. It aimed to present and discuss, via topical 'break-out' sessions, the current thoughts on the 'burden to human health' following exposure to and harm from combustion-derived particles. Furthermore, strategies for 'harm reduction' were another feature of this cross-disciplinary meeting. The final objectives were to identify biomarkers of exposure and harm to these inhalation hazards. All topics covered sought to find biomarker indices for human health effects.