Cellular Inflammatory Responses to Indoor-Source Particulate Matter

This page updated December 2, 2010

Chair’s Air Pollution Seminar

Wednesday, December 15, 2010
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm, PDT
Sierra Hearing Room, Second Floor
1001 I Street, Sacramento

This event is being Webcast, click here to view
Webcast viewers: Please send your questions during broadcast to: sierrarm@calepa.ca.gov
Presentation is available at this link

Cellular Inflammatory Responses to
Indoor-Source Particulate Matter

Christoph Vogel, Ph.D.

Department of Environmental Toxicology and Center for Health and the Environment
University of California, Davis

It is well established that exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with major health impacts such as adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. Most studies have correlated these effects with outdoor pollutant exposure; however, health effects associated with indoor PM exposures have received much less attention. Indoor PM may pose a considerable health risk: potential indoor sources of PM are numerous, people spend the majority of their time indoors, and children and the elderly are particularly susceptible. Therefore, this study investigated the potentially toxic effects of PM through its ability to induce inflammation, the body’s normal response to injurious stimuli. Inflammation is a short-term protective mechanism involving a number of biological factors released from a variety of cells in the body. However, chronic inflammation often results in harmful effects such as cell damage and disease. The current study investigated the response of isolated macrophage cells, which comprise one of the body’s early responses against foreign material, to PM generated by indoor activities including cooking and the burning of candles, wood, and incense. Our results showed increased levels of biological factors involved in inflammation as a result of PM exposures and will be presented in detail.

Christoph Vogel, Ph.D., is Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Environmental Toxicology and the Center for Health and the Environment at the University of California Davis. Dr. Vogel’s main field of research focuses on molecular mechanisms of inflammation, cardiovascular toxicity, and development of cancer caused by exposure to dioxin and air pollutant particulates. In the last five years Dr. Vogel developed and established a novel rapid cell bioassay systems for assessment of relative toxicity of air pollutant particulates and engine emission samples. Dr. Vogel has authored more than 30 peer reviewed journal publications in the field of toxicology. Dr. Vogel came to UC Davis in 2000 as a Visiting Scholar from the Institute of Environmental Research at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf, Germany, from which he obtained his Ph.D. in molecular biology and biochemistry in 1996. Dr. Vogel received his certification as Toxicologist by the German Board of Pharmacology and Toxicology and EUROTOX (Federation of European Toxicologists & European Societies of Toxicology) in 1999.

For information on this seminar please contact:
Lori Miyasato, Ph.D. at (916) 324-9284 or send email to : lmiyasat@arb.ca.gov

For information on this Series please contact:
Peter Mathews at (916) 323-8711 or send email to: pmathews@arb.ca.gov

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