RAPID: Concentration and Form of Metal and Metal-Baring Nanomaterial Contamination in Maui Fire Ash and Soil

近年来，由于气候和社会变化，野火活动和相关的环境影响急剧增加。火释放并改变了储存在植物、土壤和结构材料中的金属的性质，使它们更易溶解、更具反应性，对环境和人类健康的潜在危害更大。这个快速反应研究（RAPID）项目将收集与毛伊岛火灾有关的时间敏感的样本和数据。特别是，这项研究将检查1）金属和含金属纳米材料的浓度，成分和特性，以及毛伊岛火灾后收集的火灰和土壤中的环境持久性自由基，2）估计火灰中金属的肺部生物可及性，以及3）火灰中金属和纳米材料的动员进入地表水接收来自燃烧地区的径流。该项目产生的数据将及时与当地毛伊岛居民和社区分享，以帮助毛伊岛社区了解灾难性的毛伊岛火灾后留在家中，企业和土地上的污染物以及这些污染物的潜在环境和人类健康风险。该项目将支助两名研究生的培训。本项目中产生的方法、数据和工具将被整合到南卡罗来纳州大学和加州州立大学现有的本科和研究生课程中。在荒地-城市交界面燃烧植被和结构材料会留下灰烬，灰烬通常富含金属和含金属纳米材料。此外，高温，有限的氧气，和还原剂的释放，由于在火灾环境中的有机物质的热解改变了金属和含金属的纳米材料的性质，潜在地将它们转化为更多的移动的和反应性材料相比，其原生的对应物。降雨产生地表径流，进一步将火灾灰烬中的金属和纳米材料转移到下游地表沃茨，可能造成环境和人类健康问题。这个快速反应研究（RAPID）项目将收集与毛伊岛火灾有关的时间敏感的灰烬，土壤和水样本和数据，目的是1）量化毛伊岛荒地-城市界面火灾后收集的野火-城市界面火灾灰烬和土壤中的金属，金属轴承纳米材料和环境持久性自由基的浓度，2）表征特性，特别侧重于金属形态，在火灰和土壤中的含金属的纳米材料，和3）估计从火灰中的金属的肺生物可及性使用建立金属溶解度测定在人工肺液。拟议的研究将提供对火灾环境中金属，含金属纳米材料和环境持久性自由基的性质，浓度和转化的全面了解。这些数据将通过采用最先进的多方法方法来表征偶发纳米材料的特性，包括单粒子电感耦合等离子体飞行时间质谱，高分辨率透射电子显微镜，X射线衍射，X射线吸收光谱和电子顺磁共振。拟议研究的主要和最重要的更广泛的影响是帮助毛伊岛社区了解灾难性的毛伊岛火灾后留在他们家中，企业和土地上的污染物以及这些污染物对环境和人类健康的潜在风险。拟议研究的其他更广泛的影响包括：1）确定新的问题，并指导未来在火媒污染领域的研究; 2）生成对公共卫生等其他领域有用的数据集，以更好地了解与暴露于火灾排放污染物有关的疾病;以及3）使得诸如饮用水处理厂的公用事业能够使用所生成的数据，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Wildfire activity and associated environmental impacts have increased dramatically in recent years as a result of climate and societal changes. Fire liberates and alters the properties of metals stored in plants, soils, and structural materials, rendering them more soluble, reactive, and potentially more hazardous to environmental and human health. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will collect time-sensitive samples and data related to the Maui fire. In particular, this research will examine the 1) concentration, composition, and properties of metals and metal-bearing nanomaterials, and environmentally persistent free radicals in fire ash and soil collected following the Maui fire, 2) estimate the lung bioaccessibility of metals from fire ash, and 3) the mobilization of metals and nanomaterials in fire ash into surface water receiving runoff from burned areas. The data generated in this project will be shared with local Maui residents and communities in a timely manner to assist the Maui community in understanding the contaminants left over on the ground in their homes, businesses, and land following the catastrophic Maui fire and the potential environmental and human health risks of such contaminants. This project will support the training of two graduate students. Methods, data, and tools generated in this project will be integrated into existing undergraduate and graduate curricula at the University of South Carolina and California State University. The combustion of vegetation and structural materials in the wildland-urban interface leaves behind fire ash which is typically enriched in metals and metal-bearing nanomaterials. Additionally, the high temperature, limited oxygen, and release of reducing agents due to pyrolysis of organic matter in the fire environment alters the properties of metals and metal-bearing nanomaterials, potentially transforming them to more mobile and reactive materials compared to their native counterparts. Rainfall generates overland runoff which further mobilizes metals and nanomaterials in the fire ashes to downstream surface waters, potentially causing environmental and human health concerns. This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) project will collect time-sensitive ash, soil, and water samples and data related to the Maui fire with the aim to 1) quantify the concentration metal, metal bearing-nanomaterial, and environmentally persistent free radicals in the wildfire-urban interface fire ash and soil collected following the Maui wildland-urban interface fire, 2) characterize the properties, with particular focus on metal speciation, of metal-bearing nanomaterials in fire ash and soil, and 3) estimate the lung bioaccessibility of metals from fire ash using established metal solubility assays in artificial lung fluids. The proposed research will provide a comprehensive understanding of the nature, concentrations, and transformations of metals, metal-bearing nanomaterials, and environmentally persistent free radicals in the fire environment. These data will be generated by adopting a state-of-the-art multi-method approach to characterize the properties of incidental nanomaterials including single particle-inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectroscopy, high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance. The major and most important broader impact of the proposed research is to assist the Maui community in understanding the contaminants left over on the ground in their homes, businesses, and land following the catastrophic Maui fire and the potential environmental and human health risks of such contaminants. Other broader impacts of the proposed research include: 1) identifying novel questions and guiding future research in the area of fire-borne contamination; 2) generating datasets useful to other fields such as public health to better understand diseases linked to exposure to fire-emitted contaminants; and 3) enabling use of the generated data by public utilities such as drinking water treatment plants, to ensure appropriate processing of drinking water.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.