Preliminary assessment of toxicity of aerosol samples from central-west Brazil using Artemia spp. bioassays

The present study reports the development of a bioassay using Artemia spp. to analyse the preliminary ecotoxicity of atmospheric aerosols (PM), which can affect the environment and human health. Herein, PM samples were collected in the city of Goiânia (Brazil) in 2016, extracted with ultrapure water and subsequently filtered through membranes with different pore sizes (100, 0.8, and 0.22 μm), and the extracts employed in the bioassays. The mortality rates (endpoint analysed) declined to membranes with smaller pore sizes (15 ± 4%, 47 ± 10% and 43 ± 9% for pore sizes of 100 μm, 0.8 μm and 0.22 μm, respectively). In general, the toxicity of the extract depended on its concentration, except for the sample with a higher negative particle surface charge, which presents a lower affinity for the negatively charged surfaces of cellular membranes. Moreover, although the PM concentration was higher for the sample collected during the dry season (September), the mortality rate was not significantly different to that determined for a sample with similar physical and chemical characteristics collected in the rainy season (December). This result demonstrates the importance of monitoring PM toxicities and their chemical and physical characteristics, in addition to their concentrations. Therefore, the new protocol to provide a preliminary analysis of the toxicity of the extracts of aerosol emerges as a useful, accessible, and fast tool for monitoring possible environmental hazards, and can simplify fieldwork.