Toxicity of ethylene combustion condensates is directly proportional to their carbon content

Abstract Numerous epidemiological studies have shown a strong link between air pollution and human morbidity and mortality. Combustion sources are most significant contributors to the urban air pollution. So far, toxicological research has focused predominantly on combustion generated particulate matter, thereby neglecting chemical complexity of combustion exhausts. The aim of this study was to assess toxic potential of ethylene combustion condensates, containing both particulate and gaseous combustion by-products, by means of a recombinant bacterial assay called the SWITCH (Salmonella Weighting of Induced Toxicity (Genotoxicity) and Cytotoxicity for Human Health) test. Thereby, the suitability of total organic carbon (TOC) as a parameter for toxicity assessment was also investigated. Ethylene was combusted in a low-pressure burner under controlled laboratory conditions by only varying the carbon/oxygen ratio (C/O = 0.63–0.93). Ethylene combustion condensates were generated by drawing 10 l of combustion exhaust at constant flow rate (0.4 l/min) and collecting it in condensated form in glass bottles cooled by liquid nitrogen. Genotoxic and cytotoxic potency of combustion condensates was analyzed with the SWITCH test, based on sequential measurements of luminescence, absorbance and fluorescence outputs of treated bacterial cultures. Our results show correlation between TOC content of combustion condensates and their genotoxicity/cytotoxicity. Moreover, combustion condensates of same TOC concentration exert the same toxic effect regardless of the used C/O ratios during their generation. Our results revealed that toxicologically relevant component(s) of the ethylene combustion exhausts is/are being produced during highly, mildly and non-sooting combustion conditions, only in different proportions. Thereby, total organic carbon proved to be a suitable parameter for the assessment of the toxicity of combustion condensates.