Investigating the relationship between central nervous system biomarkers and short-term exposure to PM₁₀-bound metals during dust storms

Epidemiological studies have reported an association between air pollution and central nervous system disorders. However, its biological mechanisms are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the effect of short-term environmental exposure to PM₁₀ and associated heavy metals on changes in blood and urinary nervous markers in dusty conditions. A total of 44 healthy non-smokers were identified with a mean age of 36 years. Blood and urine samples were taken from these people 24 h before and after the dust storm to measure the biomarkers of the central nervous system. Cortisol, white blood cells (WBCs), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and S100β were measured as blood markers, while vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were tracked as urine markers. These people had 7 h of environmental exposure in dusty conditions. Eleven heavy metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Pb, and Zn) associated with PM₁₀ were measured. The average PM₁₀ concentration on dust days was 3.25 times higher than on normal days (309.81 μg m⁻³ vs. 86.11 μg m⁻³). The results of the statistical paired T-test showed that the mean S100β from pre-exposure to post-exposure increased by 5.85 ng L⁻¹ (P ≤ 0.004). The NSE mean of the pre-exposure (3.37 ± 3.48 μg L⁻¹) was significantly different from the NSE mean after exposure)4.15 ± 3.74 μg L⁻¹ ((P = 0.002). The post-exposure WBC mean was 0.59 times higher than that before exposure, albeit not statistically significant (P = 0.269). The mean VMA after exposure increased by 0.55 mg g⁻¹ CRT (Creatinine) compared to that before exposure. This difference was statistically significant (P = 0.000). Changes in S100β after exposure to dust storms had a high correlation with changes in Cr, Pb, and Fe metal concentrations, respectively (r = 0.81, r = 0.72, r = 0. 65). NSE changes were significantly associated with changes in Mn, Cd, and Fe (r = 0.71, r = 0.99, r = 0.71). Heavy metals associated with PM₁₀ can damage neurons and astrocytes, promoting neuropsychiatric disorders in people with exposure.