Researchers identify cellular trigger behind pollution-driven lung damage

A team of LSU researchers has pinpointed a specific type of lung cell that acts as a master switch for the harmful inflammation caused by a dangerous class of air pollutants—a discovery that opens the door to new treatments for asthma and other respiratory diseases. The study, published in the journal Redox Biology, focused on environmentally persistent free radicals, or EPFRs. These are long-lasting, chemically reactive particles produced when organic materials burn incompletely—during wildfires, hazardous waste incineration and other combustion processes.