Addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, global pollution, and planetary health requires novel holistic approaches. Here, we present the initial results of the NBFC project (www.nbfc.it/en), combining numerical modelling and observational data to assess the interplay between exposure to urban air pollution and human and plant health.
The analysis was conducted in an urban forest in Rome (Italy). We assessed the potential of freshly emitted traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) to cause oxidative stress and inflammation in humans and plants. Fresh TRAP is characterized by high levels of emerging atmospheric pollutants (black carbon, ultrafine particles, and reactive oxygen species; EC/2024/2881) and low levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which in an urban environment can occur after precipitation or ventilation events. TRAP-associated epigenetic markers of inflammation and oxidative stress (microRNA) were assessed on human lung epithelial cell lines and human specimens over sub-daily periods (6-12h). Functional traits related to photosynthetic machinery were analysed on two evergreen species, Quercus ilex L. and Laurus nobilis L., which were sampled at increasing distances from a major road and expected to have different sensitivities to PM2.5-induced oxidative stress. The Parallelized Large-Eddy Simulation Model (PALM) was used to simulate vegetation cover variations, using two nested domains with different resolutions and treating aerosol as a passive tracer.
The preliminary results show pro-oxidative and inflammatory responses in humans after exposure to fresh TRAP. A reduction in TRAP-related BC is observed when air masses traverse specific urban forest transects with a higher leaf index, particularly during months of high vegetative activity.
An analysis of these findings can provide proof of a cause–effect relationship between short-term exposure to fresh TRAP and oxidative stress in humans and plants, with implications for chronic responses. In a highly urbanized world, this evidence could be pivotal for motivating the widespread implementation of nature-based solutions (NBSs) to address planetary health.
