War-derived air pollution nanohybrids and their membrane-active properties
Authors: Dovbeshko Galyna , Borisova Tatiana 
Published: March 2024

Hostilities are accompanied by extremely enhanced air pollution with particulate matter (PM) which was exactly shown in Ukraine, where increased PM2.5 (the size less than 2.5 μm) correlated with war activities [R. Zalakeviciute et al., Sustainability 14(21), 13832 (2022)]. Drastic increases in PM2.5 pollution from bombing and structural fires raise additional health concerns. Also, the widest spread of war-associated metal pollutants are copper and iron [Metal Pollutants Associated with War &lt;https://ecopolitic.com.ua&gt; (2023, November)] which are neurotoxic [B. Tarnacka et al., Int. J. Mol. Sci. 22(15), 7820 (2021)]. Calculations have revealed that Ukrainian regions are highly contaminated with copper and iron that in turn become bioavailable. Neurological disorders are the most common cause of disability/death and their increase is linked to air pollution with PM, which targets the nervous system triggering the development of neuropathology as shown in the epidemiological data of the Lancet Commission [P. J. Landrigan et al., Lancet 391, 462 (2018)]. Airborne PM can travel across state boundaries, oceans, and continents, and so disperses globally causing hazards to human health not only in Ukraine but also worldwide. Our hypothesis [T. Borisova, N. Krisanova, O. Gnatiuk, V. Boyko, and G. Dovbeshko, Project “War-derived air pollution nanohybrids composed of carbon-containing smoke nanoparticles and metal compounds: FTIR/Raman spectroscopic, fluorescent and membrane-active properties, their potential neurotoxicity and its prevention”, PAN.BFB.S.BWZ.380.022.2023] is that the neurotoxic potential of abandoned war-associated carbonaceous smoke nanoparticles can be significantly enhanced by copper and iron compounds during their combined release to the environment during bombing and fires. Moreover, they can form nanohybrids during interaction in the environment. This hypothesis is based on our recent experimental data regarding neurotoxic features of smoke PM from wood and plastics and their capability to interact with other pollutants [A. Borysov et al., Environ. Pollut. 263, 114502 (2020), A. Pastukhov et al., Sci. Rep. 13, 17771 (2023), T. Borisova, Environmental Nanoparticles: Focus on Multipollutant Strategy for Environmental Quality and Health Risk Estimations, Chapter in: Biomedical Nanomaterials, R. S. Stoika (ed.) (2021), pp. 305–321, T. Borisova and S. Komisarenko Environ Sci. Pollut. Res. 28(30), 40371 (2021)]. It is an urgent necessity to analyze the molecular structure and membrane-active properties of war-derived polluted nanohybrids composed of carbonaceous smoke nanoparticles, copper, and iron; to assess their potential neurotoxicity and to find a way of neuroprotection. Knowledge about the capability of different war-derived PM to form environmental nanohybrids with war-associated pollutant copper and iron, and their spectroscopic, fluorescent, and membrane-active features can be applicable in environmental monitoring. Potential neurotoxicity data of war-derived nanohybrids can be used for the prognosis of neurological symptoms and the development of possible ways for neuroprotection.