Laboratory studies on the infectivity of human respiratory viruses:Experimental conditions,detections,and resistance to the atmospheric environment

The environmental stability of infectious viruses in the laboratory setting is crucial to the transmission potential of human respiratory viruses.Different experimental techniques or conditions used in studies over the past decades have led to diverse understandings and predictions for the stability of viral infectivity in the atmospheric environment.In this paper,we review the current knowledge on the effect of simulated atmospheric conditions on the infectivity of respiratory viruses,mainly focusing on influenza viruses and coronaviruses,including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.First,we summarize the impact of the experimental conditions on viral stability;these involve the methods of viral aerosol generation,storage during aging and collection,the virus types and strains,the suspension matrixes,the initial inoculum volumes and concentrations,and the drying process.Second,we summarize and discuss the detection methods of viral infectivity and their disadvantages.Finally,we integrate the results from the reviewed studies to obtain an overall understanding of the effects of atmospheric environmental conditions on the decay of infectious viruses,especially aerosolized viruses.Overall,this review highlights the knowledge gaps in predicting the ability of viruses to maintain infectivity during airborne transmission.

An overview for monitoring and prediction of pathogenic microorganisms in the atmosphere

Corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)has exerted a profound adverse impact on human health.Studies have demonstrated that aerosol transmission is one of the major transmission routes of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2).Pathogenic microorganisms such as SARS-CoV-2 can survive in the air and cause widespread infection among people.Early monitoring of pathogenic microorganism transmission in the atmosphere and accurate epidemic prediction are the frontier guarantee for preventing large-scale epidemic outbreaks.Monitoring of pathogenic microorganisms in the air,especially in densely populated areas,may raise the possibility to detect viruses before people are widely infected and contain the epidemic at an earlier stage.The multi-scale coupled accurate epidemic prediction system can provide support for governments to analyze the epidemic situation,allocate health resources,and formulate epidemic response policies.This review first elaborates on the effects of the atmospheric environment on pathogenic microorganism transmission,which lays a theoretical foundation for the monitoring and prediction of epidemic development.Secondly,the monitoring technique development and the necessity of monitoring pathogenic microorganisms in the atmosphere are summarized and emphasized.Subsequently,this review introduces the major epidemic prediction methods and highlights the significance to realize a multi-scale coupled epidemic prediction system by strengthening the multidisciplinary cooperation of epidemiology,atmospheric sciences,environmental sciences,sociology,demography,etc.By summarizing the achievements and challenges in monitoring and prediction of pathogenic microorganism transmission in the atmosphere,this review proposes suggestions for epidemic response,namely,the establishment of an integrated monitoring and prediction platform for pathogenic microorganism transmission in the atmosphere.

Screening legacy and emerging organic pollutants in the contaminated soil of Dhaka,Bangladesh

The current understanding of the legacy and emerging organic pollutants in the soil of Bangladesh remains limited.Inadequate disposal practices,particularly in e-waste,landfills,and industrial operations,may lead to the pervasive presence of persistent organic pollutants(POPs)and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)in the country.This study aimed to systematically investigate the concentrations,sources,and risk assessment of halogenated flame retardants(HFRs),polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs),polychlorinated naphthalenes(PCNs),organochlorine pesticides(OCPs),chlorinated paraffins(CPs),and PAHs in the contaminated soil of Dhaka's dumpsites,e-waste,and industrial areas collected in 2017.The total concentration of investigated pollutants averaged at 4790±4040 ng g^(-1)dw,with the following order:P44CPs(4110±4140 ng g^(-1)dw)>P16PAHs(422±491 ng g^(-1)dw)>P16HFRs(190±538 ng g^(-1)dw)>P209PCBs(43.5±73.5 ng g^(-1)dw)>P50PCNs(17.7±21.0 ng g^(-1)dw)>P27OCPs(9.41±9.61 ng g^(-1)dw).The e-waste site exhibited the highest total concentration of the target pollutants,reaching 12,700 ng g1 dw.CPs were the predominant contributors,accounting for averages of 81.8%,70.5%,and 68.5%to waste landfills,e-waste,and industrial sites,respectively.A comprehensive analysis of 209 PCB congeners revealed their primary origin from Aroclor PCBs,with minor contributions from unintentionally produced PCBs.The highest incremental lifetime carcinogenic risk(ILCR)occurred in e-waste sites,contributed by dioxin-like PCBs,with a maximum value of 5.9×10^(-5)for adults,exceeding the limit 1.0×10^(-6)set by the U.S.EPA.The non-carcinogenic hazard quotients(HQs)were much lower,suggesting no significant risk from the investigated pollutants.Our findings highlight the importance of proper waste management and regulated e-waste recycling to mitigate potential hazardous risks to the Bangladeshi population.

Heterogeneous reaction of NO_(2) with feldspar, three clay minerals and Arizona Test Dust

Heterogeneous reaction of NO_(2) with mineral dust aerosol may play important roles in troposphere chemistry,and has been investigated by a number of laboratory studies.However,the influence of mineralogy on this reaction has not been well understood,and its impact on aerosol hygroscopicity is not yet clear.This work investigated heterogeneous reactions of NO_(2)(∼10 ppmv)with K-feldspar,illite,kaolinite,montmorillonite and Arizona Test Dust(ATD)at room temperature as a function of relative humidity(<1%to 80%)and reaction time(up to 24 hr).Heterogeneous reactivity towards NO_(2) was low for illite,kaolinite,montmorillonite and ATD,and uptake coefficients of NO_(2),γ(NO_(2)),were determined to be around or smaller than 1×10^(−8);K-feldspar exhibited higher reactivity towards NO_(2),and CaCO_(3) is most reactive among the nine mineral dust samples considered in this and previous work.After heterogeneous reaction with NO_(2) for 24 hr,increase in hygroscopicity was nearly insignificant for illite,kaolinite and montmorillonite,and small but significant for K-feldspar;in addition,large increase in hygroscopicity was observed for ATD,although the increase in hygroscopicity was still smaller than CaCO_(3).

Effects of heterogeneous reaction with NO_(2) on ice nucleation activities of feldspar and Arizona Test Dust

Mineral dust is an important type of ice nucleating particles in the troposphere;however,the effects of heterogeneous reactions on ice nucleation(IN)activities of mineral dust remain to be elucidated.A droplet-freezing apparatus(Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry Ice Nucleation Apparatus,GIGINA)was developed in thiswork to measure IN activities of atmospheric particles in the immersion freezingmode,and its performancewas validated by a series of experimental characterizations.This apparatus was then employed to measure IN activities of feldspar and Arizona Test Dust(ATD)particles before and after heterogeneous reaction with NO_(2)(10±0.5 ppmv)at 40%relative humidity.The surface coverage of nitrate,θ(NO_(3)^(−)),increased to 3.1±0.2 for feldspar after reaction with NO_(2) for 6 hr,and meanwhile the active site density per unit surface area(ns)at-20℃ was reduced from 92±5 to<1.0 cm^(−2) by about two orders of magnitude;however,no changes in nitrate content or IN activities were observed for further increase in reaction time(up to 24 hr).Both nitrate content and IN activities changed continuously with reaction time(up to 24 hr)for ATD particles;after reaction with NO_(2) for 24 hr,θ(NO_(3)^(−))increased to 1.4±0.1 and ns at-20℃ was reduced from 20±4 to 9.7±1.9 cm^(−2) by a factor of∼2.Our work suggests that heterogeneous reaction with NO_(2),an abundant reactive nitrogen species in the troposphere,may significantly reduce IN activities of mineral dust in the immersion freezing mode.

Ozone episodes during and after the 2018 Chinese National Day holidays in Guangzhou:Implications for the control of precursor VOCs

The impact of reducing industrial emissions of volatile organic compounds(VOCs)on ozone(O_(3))pollution is of wide concern particularly in highly industrialized megacities.In this study,O_(3),nitrogen oxides(NOx)and VOCs were measured at an urban site in the Pearl River Delta region during the 2018 Chinese National Day Holidays and two after-holiday periods(one with ozone pollution and another without).O_(3)pollution occurred throughout the 7-day holidays even industrial emissions of VOCswere passively reduced due to temporary factory shutdowns,and the toluene to benzene ratios dropped from∼10 during non-holidays to∼5 during the holidays.Box model(AtChem2-MCM)simulations with the input of observation data revealed that O_(3)formation was all VOC-limited,and alkenes had the highest relative incremental reactivity(RIR)during the holiday and non-holiday O_(3)episodes while aromatics had the highest RIR during the non-pollution period.Box model also demonstrated that even aromatics decreased proportionally to levels with near-zero contributions of industrial aromatic solvents,O_(3)concentrations would only decrease by less than 20%during the holiday and non-holiday O_(3)episodes and ozone pollution in the periods could not be eliminated.The results imply that controlling emissions of industrial aromatic solvents might be not enough to eliminate O_(3)pollution in the region,and more attention should be paid to anthropogenic reactive alkenes.Isoprene and formaldehyde were among the top 3 species by RIRs in all the three pollution and non-pollution periods,suggesting substantial contribution to O_(3)formation from biogenic VOCs.

Fast screening compositions of PM2.5 by ATR-FTIR： Comparison with results from IC and OC/EC analyzers

Chemical speciation of fine particles or PM2.5 collected on filters is still a cosily and time- consuming task. In this study, filter-based PM2.5 samples were collected during November-December 2013 at four sites in Guangzhou, and the major components were fast screened （~ 7 rain per filter sample） by Attenuated Total Reflectance （ATR）-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic （FTIR） in comparison with that measured by Organic carbon/Element carbon （OC/ EC） analyzer and Ion Chromatography （IC）. The concentrations of nitrate, ammonium, sulfate, primary organic carbon （POC） and secondary organic carbon （SOC） measured by OC/EC and IC analyzers were better correlated with their infrared absorption peak heights at 1320 cm 1 for nitrate, 1435, 3045 and 3215 cm^-1 for ammonium, 615 cm^-1 for sulfate, 690, 760 and 890 cm^-1 for POC and 1640 and 1660 cm^-1 for SOC respectively, during polluted days （PM2.5 〉 75 μg/m^3） than during clean days （PM2.5〈 75 μg/m^3）. With the evolution of a haze episode during our field campaign, the concentrations of the major PM2.5 components displayed consistent variations with their infrared absorption peak heights, suggesting ATR-FTIR could be a fast and useful technique to characterize filter-based PM2.5 compositions particularly during pollution events although cautions should be taken when PM2.5 levels are low. Notably, elevated PM2.5 mass concentrations occurred with enhanced ratios of [NO^-3][SO^2-4] and [NH^＋4]/[SO^2-4], implying that nitrogenous components play vital roles in the PM2.5 pollution events in the study region.

Vertical distribution and temporal evolution of formaldehyde and glyoxal derived from MAX-DOAS observations:The indicative role of VOC sources

Formaldehyde(HCHO)and glyoxal(CHOCHO)are important oxidization intermediates of most volatile organic compounds(VOCs),but their vertical evolution in urban areas is not well understood.Vertical profiles of HCHO,CHOCHO,and nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2))were retrieved from ground-based Multi-Axis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy(MAXDOAS)observations in Hefei,China.HCHO and CHOCHO vertical profiles prefer to occur at higher altitudes compared to NO_(2),which might be caused by the photochemistry-oxidation of longer-lived VOCs at higher altitudes.Monthly means of HCHO concentrations were higher in summer,while enhanced amounts of NO_(2)were mainly observed in winter.CHOCHO exhibited a hump-like seasonal variation,with higher monthly-averaged values not only occurred in warm months(July-August)but also in cold months(November-December).Peak values mainly occurred during noon for HCHO but emerged in the morning for CHOCHO and NO_(2),suggesting that HCHO is stronger link to photochemistry than CHOCHO.We further use the glyoxal to formaldehyde ratio(GFR)to investigate the VOC sources at different altitudes.The lowest GFR value is almost found in the altitude from 0.2 to 0.4 km,and then rises rapidly as the altitude increases.The GFR results indicate that the largest contributor of the precursor VOC is biogenic VOCs at lower altitudes,while at higher altitudes is anthropogenic VOCs.Our findings provide a lot more insight into VOC sources at vertical direction,but more verification is recommended to be done in the future.

Hygroscopic properties of sodium and potassium salts as related to saline mineral dusts and sea salt aerosols

Mineral dust,soil,and sea salt aerosols are among the most abundant primary inorganic aerosols in the atmosphere,and their hygroscopicity affects the hydrological cycle and global climate.We investigated the hygroscopic behaviors of six Na-and K-containing salts commonly found in those primary organic aerosols.Their hygroscopic growths as a function of relative humidity(RH) agree well with thermodynamic model prediction.Temperature dependence of deliquescence RH(DRH) values for five of those salts was also investigated,which are comparable to those in literature within 1%-2% RH,most showing negative dependence on temperature.Hygroscopic growth curves of real-world soil and sea salt samples were also measured.The hygroscopic growths of two more-hydroscopic saline soil samples and of sea salt can be predicted by the thermodynamic model based on the measured water-soluble ionic composition.The substantial amounts of water-soluble ions,including Na+and K+,in saline soil samples imply that even nascent saline soil samples are quite hygroscopic at high-RH(>80%) conditions.For three less-hygroscopic dust samples,however,measurements showed higher water uptake ability than that predicted by the thermodynamic model.The small amount of water taken up by less-hygroscopic dust samples suggests that dust particles might contain thin layers of water even to very low RH.The results of this study provide a comprehensive characterization of the hygroscopicity of Na-and K-containing salts as related to their roles in the hygroscopic behaviors of saline mineral dusts and sea salt aerosols.

Seasonal variations of mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon in PM_(2.5) in urban Guangzhou of South China

This study investigates seasonal variations of mass absorption efficiency of elemental carbon(MAE_(EC))and possible influencing factors in urban Guangzhou of South China.Mass concentrations of elemental carbon(EC)and organic carbon(OC)in PM_(2.5) and aerosol absorption coefficient(b_(ap))at multi-wavelengths were simultaneously measured in four seasons of 2018-2019 at hourly resolution by a semi-continuous carbon analyzer and an aethalometer.Seasonal average mass concentrations of EC were in the range of 1.36-1.70μgC/m^(3) with a lower value in summer than in the other seasons,while those of OC were in the range of 4.70–6.49μgC/m^(3) with the lowest value in summer and the highest in autumn.Vehicle exhaust from local traffic was identified to be the predominant source of carbonaceous aerosols.The average aerosol absorption Angstrom exponents(AAE)were lower than 1.2 in four seasons,indicating EC and b_(ap) were closely related with vehicle exhaust.Seasonal MAE EC at 550 nm was 11.0,8.5,10.4 and 11.3 m^(2)/g in spring,summer,autumn,and winter,respectively.High MAE EC was related with the high mass ratio of non-carbonaceous aerosols to EC and high ambient relative humidity.

Absorption and recovery of n-hexane in aqueous solutions of fluorocarbon surfactants

n-Hexane is widely used in industrial production as an organic solvent. As an industrial exhaust gas, the contribution of n-hexane to air pollution and damage to human health are attracting increasing attention. In the present study, aqueous solutions of two fluorocarbon surfactants（FSN100 and FSO100） were investigated for their properties of solubilization and dynamic absorption of n-hexane, as well as their capacity for regeneration and n-hexane recovery by thermal distillation. The results show that the two fluorocarbon surfactants enhance dissolution and absorption of n-hexane, and their effectiveness is closely related to their concentrations in solution. For low concentration solutions（0.01%–0.30%）, the partition coefficient decreases dramatically and the saturation capacity increases significantly with increasing concentration, but the changes for both are more modest when the concentration is over 0.30%. The FSO100 solution presents a smaller partition coefficient and a greater saturation capacity than the FSN100 solution at the same concentration,indicating a stronger solubilization for n-hexane. Thermal distillation is a feasible method to recover n-hexane from these absorption solutions, and to regenerate them. With 90 sec heating at 80–85°C, the recovery of n-hexane ranges between 81% and 85%, and the regenerated absorption solution maintains its original performance during reuse. This study provides basic information on two fluorocarbon surfactants for application in the treatment of industrial n-hexane waste gases.

The leaching of additive-derived flame retardants(FRs) from plastics in avian digestive fluids:The significant risk of highly lipophilic FRs

The exposure to plastic debris and associated pollutants for wildlife is of urgent concern,but little attention has been paid on the transfer of plastic additives from plastic debris to organisms.In the present study,the leaching of incorporated flame retardants (FRs),including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs),alternative brominated FRs (AFRs),and phosphate flame retardants (PFRs),from different sizes of recycled acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymer were investigated in avian digestive fluids.The impact of co-ingested sediment on the leaching of additive-derived FRs in digestive fluids was also explored.In the recycled ABS,BDE 209 (715 μg/g) and 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE,1766 μg/g) had the highest concentrations among all target FRs.The leaching proportions of FRs were higher in finer sizes of ABS.The leaching proportions of FRs from recycled ABS increased with elevated logKow of FRs.In the tests with coexisted ABS and sediment,hexato deca-BDEs,BTBPE,and decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) migrated from ABS to sediment,which resulted in the less bioaccessible fractions of these FRs in gut fluids.More lipophilic chemicals tended to be adsorbed by sediment from ABS.The results suggest the migration of additive-derived FRs from plastics to other indigestible materials in digestive fluids.The findings in this study provide insights into the transfer of additive-derived FRs from plastics to birds,and indicate the significant contribution of FR-incorporated plastics to bioaccumulation of highly lipophilic FRs.

Vertical profiles of biogenic volatile organic compounds as observed online at a tower in Beijing

Vertical profiles of isoprene and monoterpenes were measured by a proton transfer reactiontime of flight-mass spectrometry(PTR-ToF-MS) at heights of 3,15,32,64,and 102 m above the ground on the Institute of Atmospheric Physics(IAP) tower in central Beijing during the winter of 2016 and the summer of 2017.Isoprene mixing ratios were larger in summer due to much stronger local emissions whereas monoterpenes were lower in summer due largely to their consumption by much higher levels of ozone.Isoprene mixing ratios were the highest at the 32 m in summer(1.64±0.66 ppbV) and at 15 m in winter(1.41±0.64 ppbV) with decreasing concentrations to the ground and to the 102 m,indicating emission from the tree canopy of the surrounding parks.Monoterpene mixing ratios were the highest at the 3 m height in both the winter(0.71±0.42 ppbV) and summer(0.16±0.10 ppbV) with a gradual decreasing trend to 102 m,indicting an emission from near the ground level.The lowest isoprene and monoterpene mixing ratios all occurred at 102 m,which were 0.71±0.42 ppbV(winter) and 1.35±0.51 ppbV(summer) for isoprene,and 0.42±0.22 ppbV(winter) and0.07±0.06 ppbV(summer) for monoterpenes.Isoprene in the summer and monoterpenes in the winter,as observed at the five heights,showed significant mutual correlations.In the winter monoterpenes were positively correlated with combustion tracers CO and acetonitrile at 3 m,suggesting possible anthropogenic sources.

High-resolution sedimentary record of hydrocarbon contaminants in a core from the major reaches of the Pearl River, China

The concentrations and compositions of hydrocarbon contaminants, and molecular marker indices in modern sediments from a core in the major reaches of the Pearl River were investigated. The sedimentary record of hydrocarbons in the core, in combination with 210Pb-dating, was used to reconstruct the pollution history of hydrocarbon pollutants in the Pearl River in the past 100 years.

Measurements of HO2 uptake coefficient on aqueous（NH4）2SO4 aerosol using aerosol flow tube with LIF system

Laboratory studies of HO2 uptake coefficients,γ(HO2),were conducted at room temperature using an aerosol flow tube coupled with a laser induced fluorescence(LIF) system.The measurement was conducted with atmospherically relevant HO2 concentrations(~1×10^9 molecule/cm^3) at 51% RH.The measured γ(HO2) onto aqueous(NH4)2 SO4 aerosol was 0.001±0.0007,which was consistent with the relatively low first-order loss rate of HO2 onto aqueous(NH4)2 SO4 aerosol.Theγ(HO2) was elevated with increase of Cu(Ⅱ) concentrations in aqueous(NH4)2 SO4 aerosol.The threshold of Cu(Ⅱ) concentration was10^-3 mol/L for the dramatic increase of γ(HO2).It was found that γ(HO2) reached 0.1 when Cu(Ⅱ)concentration in aerosol was larger than 10^-3 mol/L,suggesting that γ(HO2) is very sensitive to concentration of transition metal ions in aerosol.