The hidden danger of oxygen
Friday, March 25, 2011
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pollen particles. (Photo: © Christoher Pöhlker / MPI for Chemistry)
A new discovery is helping to explain how they are toxic and allergenic substances in our air. Were first detected on the surface of aerosol particles intermediate long-lived reactive oxygen. These products survive in that situation for more than 100 seconds, during which react with atmospheric pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. Two of the consequences are that the soot particles become more toxic and increases the potential to cause pollen allergies. Although for years scientists had their suspicions that these intermediate forms existed, it was thought that disappeared in a matter of fractions of a second, and therefore had little impact on the chemistry of the atmosphere. These oxygen intermediates are developed when ozone reacts with particulate matter such as soot, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or pollen proteins.
This research not only resolves the contradictions found previously between the theoretical calculations and measurements, but also demonstrates that the intermediate products are also responsible for many atmospheric and physiological reactions. The study was carried out by a team of experts from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Germany, Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Among the researchers are Manabu Shiraiwa and Ulrich Pöschl.
The study authors suspect that the observed increase in the levels of allergy in industrialized countries is linked to these reactions. The more ozone and nitrogen oxides are emitted by industry and traffic, more often organic molecules such as proteins certain kinds of pollen will experience changes that make them more potent as allergens. Pöschl and his colleagues have obtained evidence that these altered proteins can cause allergic reactions more severe than their original forms. If this hypothesis is confirmed, exposure to pollutants released by burning fossil fuels for human health will be an even greater risk than that assumed so far.
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