Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, Campus El Carmen, University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain.
J Inorg Biochem. 2012 Mar;108:112-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2011.11.023. Epub 2011 Dec 3.
Airborne particle samples were taken between 2001 and 2008 at an urban site (Huelva) in southwestern Spain. Arsenic was found in the samples due to the presence of a near-by copper smelter, sometimes at concentrations above the target value of 6 ng m(-3) proposed by EU regulations (annual means from 4.6 to 10.4 ng As m(-3) in PM10, and 3.0 to 9.1 ng As m(-3) in PM2.5). The results obtained by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) showed that arsenic accumulates preferentially (ca. 70-80%) in the particles with smaller diameter (PM2.5 versus PM10), representing a threat to human health due to the higher capacity of the finer particles to enter the organism through the respiratory system. Moreover, the toxicity of the inorganic arsenic species depends also on the oxidation state, As(III) being more toxic that As(V). The speciation analysis performed with High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Hydride Generation- Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS) with samples collected between 2006 and 2008, showed that As(V) represented the main arsenic species, but As(III) was also found at significant concentration, representing a 5-10% of the total arsenic content. The results also indicate that the more toxic As(III) tends to concentrate preferentially in the finer fraction PM2.5 in comparison with As(V), thus representing an added health risk for the local population.
在西班牙西南部的一个城市（韦尔瓦）的一个地点，于 2001 年至 2008 年期间采集了空气悬浮颗粒样本。由于附近有一家铜冶炼厂，样本中发现了砷，有时浓度超过欧盟法规（每年平均值为 4.6 至 10.4ngAsm(-3)在 PM10 中，3.0 至 9.1ngAsm(-3)在 PM2.5 中）规定的目标值。电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）的结果表明，砷优先（约 70-80%）积累在直径较小的颗粒（PM2.5 与 PM10）中，由于更细的颗粒通过呼吸系统进入生物体的能力更高，这对人类健康构成了威胁。此外，无机砷物种的毒性也取决于氧化态，As(III)比 As(V)毒性更大。用高效液相色谱-氢化物发生-原子荧光光谱法（HPLC-HG-AFS）对 2006 年至 2008 年采集的样品进行形态分析表明，As(V)是主要的砷物种，但也发现了相当浓度的 As(III)，占总砷含量的 5-10%。结果还表明，毒性更大的 As(III)倾向于优先在较细的 PM2.5 部分浓缩，与 As(V)相比，这对当地居民构成了额外的健康风险。
