Trace Elements in Urban Particulate Matters: Variations in Serum Levels, Inhalation Bioaccessibility, Health and Disease Effects

Abstract

Trace elements-bound to particulate matters are often become entrained in human respiratory airway, deposited in human nasal cavity and made available for absorption by human tracheobronchial. It has been assumed that variability and bioaccessibility of elements in the serum correlate with some health and diseases. This chapter is a summary of previous works on bioaccessibility of trace elements bound to inhale particulates using different kinds of simulated body fluids. Presented also are evidences of serum variation in some respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (with or without hypertension), emphysema, bronchiectasis and bronchial asthma, non-tuberculose mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).