Assessing air quality and composition of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Jackson, MS

There are limited studies on air quality in the Southern United States, with even fewer assessing the health impacts of poor air quality on underserved communities. Jackson, the Mississippi state capital, has documented environmental injustices linked to drinking water quality and access to healthcare, but the impact of air pollution is underexplored. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a complex mixture of air pollution, has associations with systemic health effects and the ability to induce oxidative stress. While federal regulations require monitoring PM2.5 throughout the United States, there is limited characterization of health relevant components, including black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This project utilizes PM2.5 filters to investigate the chemical and toxicological profile of PM2.5 at two intraurban sites using the dithiothreitol assay to measure oxidative potential and Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry to quantify PAHs. Significant differences between sites in PM2.5 concentration, oxidative potential, and PAH concentrations was observed. Additional research is needed to determine the potential human health risks that PM2.5 poses to residents in Jackson, MS, but this work highlights pollutants of interest at levels that exceed similar studies for urban regions, encouraging more attention and action to protect the air of vulnerable populations.美国南部地区的空气质量相关研究较为匮乏，针对空气质量不佳对服务不足社区健康影响的评估研究更是稀缺。密西西比州首府杰克逊市已被证实存在与饮用水水质、医疗可及性相关的环境不公问题，但空气污染的健康影响尚未得到充分探索。细颗粒物（PM2.5）作为一种复杂的大气污染物混合物，与诸多全身性健康效应相关，且具备诱导氧化应激的能力。尽管美国联邦法规要求在全美范围内开展PM2.5监测，但针对其与健康相关的组分（包括黑碳与多环芳烃（PAHs））的表征研究仍较为有限。本研究采用PM2.5滤膜，在两个城区采样点位，通过二硫苏糖醇（Dithiothreitol, DTT）试验测定氧化电位，并采用气相色谱-质谱联用（Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, GC-MS）技术定量多环芳烃（PAHs），以探究PM2.5的化学与毒理学特征。研究观察到不同采样点位在PM2.5浓度、氧化电位及PAH浓度上均存在显著差异。目前仍需开展更多研究，以明确PM2.5对密西西比州杰克逊市居民的潜在人类健康风险，但本研究检出的目标污染物浓度高于城市区域同类研究水平，呼吁更多关注与行动，以保护脆弱群体的空气质量。