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ULTRAFINE ASH AEROSOLS FROM COAL COMBUSTION: CHARACTERIZATION AND HEALTH EFFECTS
Citation:
LINAK, W. P., J. YOO, S. J. WASSON, W. ZHU, J. O. WENDT, F. E. HUGGINS, Y. CHEN, N. SHAH, G. P. HUFFMAN, AND M. I. GILMOUR. ULTRAFINE ASH AEROSOLS FROM COAL COMBUSTION: CHARACTERIZATION AND HEALTH EFFECTS. In Proceedings, 31st International Symposium on Combustion, Heidelberg, GERMANY, August 06 - 11, 2006. Combustion Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, NA, (2006).
Description:
Ultrafine coal fly ash particles, defined here as those with diameters less than 0.5 micrometer, typically comprise less than 1% of the total fly ash mass. These particles are formed almost exclusively through ash vaporization, nucleation, and coagulation/condensation mechanisms, which lead to compositions notably different compared to other fine or coarse particle fractions that are formed primary by fragmentation. This paper reports the results of interdisciplinary research focused on both characterization and health effects of primary ultrafine coal ash aerosols alone. Ultrafines were introduced directly to an in-line exposure chamber to explore potential inhalation health effects on mice. Among the surprising results revealed by XAFS was the presence of chromium and thiophenic sulphur in the ultrafine ash particles. Although the study failed to reveal significant health effects from the direct inhalation, the instillation results suggested potential lung injury, the severity of which could be correlated with the soot content of the ultrafines. Further, this increased toxicity is consistent with theories in which the presence of carbon mediated transition metal (i.e., Fe) complexes promotes oxidation-reduction processes and reactive oxygen stress.