Rationale for model particles and chemicals
| Particle/chemical | Rationale | [Ref.] |
| Carbon black | Larger than nanoparticulate carbon black (260 versus 14 nm) and shown in various studies not to elicit oxidative stress, hence demonstrating the ability of surface area to elicit oxidative stress | 8 |
| Tert-butyl-hyperperoxide | Pure oxidative stressor, nonparticulate | |
| Urban dust | Standard reference air pollution particlesPreviously shown to induce oxidative DNA damage in human lung epithelial cells | 23–25 |
| Nanoparticulate carbon black | Model of the carbonaceous nanoparticles in urban dustThe specific sample has been shown to elicit oxidative stress in various biological cell systems | 8 |
| Nanoparticulate carbon black and benzo(a)pyrene | Model of nanoparticles with organic componentHas been used along with noncoated nanoparticulate carbon black and benzo(a)pyrene in lung carcinogenicity studies in rats | 23–25 |
| Benzo(a)pyrene | Model for the organic component of urban dustKnown for its ability to induce DNA damage, and specifically shown to induce benzo(a)pyrene-diolepoxide DNA adducts in A549 cells | 8 |