title: Anthropogenic Carbon Nanotubes Found in the Airways of Parisian Children.
abstract: Compelling evidence shows that fine particulate matters (PMs) from air pollution penetrate lower airways and are associated with adverse health effects even within concentrations below those recommended by the WHO. A paper reported a dose-dependent link between carbon content in alveolar macrophages (assessed only by optical microscopy) and the decline in lung function. However, to the best of our knowledge, PM had never been accurately characterized inside human lung cells and the most responsible components of the particulate mix are still unknown. On another hand carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from natural and anthropogenic sources might be an important component of PM in both indoor and outdoor air. We used high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy to characterize PM present in broncho-alveolar lavage-fluids (n = 64) and inside lung cells (n = 5 patients) of asthmatic children. We show that inhaled PM mostly consist of CNTs. These CNTs are present in all examined samples and they are similar to those we found in dusts and vehicle exhausts collected in Paris, as well as to those previously characterized in ambient air in the USA, in spider webs in India, and in ice core. These results strongly suggest that humans are routinely exposed to CNTs.
authors.affiliation: LETIAM, Lip(Sys) , IUT d'Orsay, Paris-Saclay University, Plateau de Moulon, 91400 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kolosnjaj-Tabi
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergy Center, Trousseau-La Roche Guyon Hospital group, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 University, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jocelyne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Just
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1892, Rice University-MS 60, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Keith B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Hartman
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Pulmonology and Allergy Center, Trousseau-La Roche Guyon Hospital group, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 University, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Yacine
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Laoudi
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomo-pathology, Trousseau-La Roche Guyon Hospital group, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 University, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sabah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boudjemaa
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Matériaux et Phénomènes Quantiques, UMR 7162, CNRS - Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Damien
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alloyeau
authors.affiliation: LETIAM, Lip(Sys) , IUT d'Orsay, Paris-Saclay University, Plateau de Moulon, 91400 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Szwarc
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Richard E. Smalley Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, P.O. Box 1892, Rice University-MS 60, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Lon J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: LETIAM, Lip(Sys), IUT d'Orsay, Paris-Saclay University, Plateau de Moulon, 91400 Orsay, France; Department of Biochemistry, Trousseau-La Roche Guyon Hospital group, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6 University, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Fathi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moussa
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants; D000397:Air Pollution; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000737:chemistry; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D052638:Particulate Matter; D001335:Vehicle Emissions
keywords: Air pollution; Asthma; Carbon; Lamellar bodies; Nanotubes