Abstract Exhaled breath aerosol (EBA) is an important non-invasive biological medium for detecting exogenous environmental contaminants and endogenous metabolites present in the pulmonary tract. Currently, EBA is typically captured as a constituent of the mainstream clinical tool referred to as exhaled breath condensate (EBC). This article describes a simpler, completely non-invasive method for collecting EBA directly from different forms of hard-surface plastic respirator masks and disposable hospital paper breathing masks without first collecting EBC. The new EBA methodology bypasses the complex EBC procedures that require specialized collection gear, dry ice or other coolant, in-field sample processing, and refrigerated transport to the laboratory. Herein, mask samples collected from different types of plastic respirators and paper hospital masks worn by volunteers in the laboratory were analyzed using high resolution-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HR-LC-MS) and immunochemistry. The results of immunochemistry analysis revealed that cytokines were collected above background on both plastic respirator surfaces and paper hospital masks, confirming the presence of human biological constituents. Non-targeted HR-LC-MS analyses demonstrated that larger exogenous molecules such as plasticizers, pesticides, and consumer product chemicals as well as endogenous biochemicals, including cytokines and fatty acids were also detected on mask surfaces. These results suggest that mask sampling is a viable technique for EBA collection to assess potential inhalation exposures and endogenous indicators of health state.

中文翻译：

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识别呼出气气溶胶中的有机化合物：从呼吸器表面和一次性医院口罩中进行无创采样

摘要 呼出气气溶胶 (EBA) 是一种重要的非侵入性生物介质，用于检测存在于肺道中的外源性环境污染物和内源性代谢物。目前，EBA 通常被捕获为称为呼出气冷凝物 (EBC) 的主流临床工具的组成部分。本文介绍了一种更简单、完全无创的方法，无需先收集 EBC，即可直接从不同形式的硬面塑料呼吸面罩和一次性医用纸呼吸面罩中收集 EBA。新的 EBA 方法绕过了复杂的 EBC 程序，这些程序需要专门的收集装置、干冰或其他冷却剂、现场样品处理和冷藏运输到实验室。在此处，使用高分辨率-液相色谱-质谱（HR-LC-MS）和免疫化学分析了从实验室志愿者佩戴的不同类型塑料呼吸器和纸质医院口罩中收集的口罩样本。免疫化学分析的结果显示，在塑料呼吸器表面和纸质医院口罩上收集到的细胞因子高于背景，证实了人类生物成分的存在。非靶向 HR-LC-MS 分析表明，在口罩表面也检测到较大的外源性分子，如增塑剂、杀虫剂和消费品化学品以及内源性生化物质，包括细胞因子和脂肪酸。