Relationship of Asian dust events with atmospheric endotoxin and protein levels in Sasebo and Kyoto, Japan, in Spring

Abstract

Asian dust events are caused by dust storms originating from deserts in Mongolia and northern China, and these events are observed in Japan, mainly in spring. To explore the effect of Asian dust events on atmospheric endotoxin and protein levels, we collected the total suspended particles (TSP) in the spring months (March, April, and May) of 2015 in Sasebo and Kyoto, Japan, and assessed the levels of biological elements at both locations. At both locations, the daily concentrations of TSP, water-soluble Ca2+ (an indicator mineral of soil in dust), endotoxins, and proteins were found to be high during and after Asian dust events recorded by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The concentration of Ca2+ showed a strong positive correlation with the concentrations of TSP and endotoxin, while the concentration of protein was moderately positively correlated with Ca2+ in both Sasebo and Kyoto. There were large concentrations of endotoxins, and the fluctuation ranges were higher in Sasebo than in Kyoto. In contrast, protein concentrations showed low levels of fluctuation, and no major differences were found in the concentration at each location.