Every time we take a breath, we are inhaling the results of twentieth century combustion technology. Combustion processes generally produce a multitude of soot and other sub micron sized particulates. The human lungs, via the process of cilia movement expel most of these particles; others are broken down with the aid of macrophage agents. These macrophages absorb particles and incorporate the constitute elements into our bodies. These elements maybe expelled, or they may remain in the body and accumulate over time, as is the case with certain heavy metals. Limited prior research on ‘single-particle’ interaction with lung or bronchial tissue has been conducted. Related research has focused on the statistical significance of soot inhalation on the lung tissue of rodents and primates [1]. Using the methods of single particle examination, founded by previous research into single particle source allocation [2], the examination particles of from human lung and bronchial tissues was performed.

Research on the particle characterization shown here is based on the application of an innovative method developed at MIT, which utilized high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX).