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A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Quality and Human Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2023 | Viewed by 5539

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Changqing Lin

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Guest Editor

Division of Environment and Sustainability, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
Interests: atmospheric science; aerosol and trace gas; air pollution and health; remote sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Christos Argyropoulos

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Guest Editor

School of Medicine, European University Cyprus, 2404 Egkomi, Cyprus
Interests: health risk assessment; computational fluid dynamics; indoor air; process safety
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Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana

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Guest Editor

1. Medical School, European University Cyprus, 6 Diogenis Str., Engomi 2404, Nicosia, Cyprus
2. Centre of Excellence in Risk and Decision Science (CERIDES), European University Cyprus, 6 Diogenis Str., Engomi 2404, Nicosia, Cyprus
Interests: infection control and prevention; antimicrobial stewardship; antimicrobial resistance; epidemiology/ surveillance of infectious diseases; diagnosis and treatment of fungal infections; microbiome; health technology assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to provide recent advances in the field of “Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment”. Air pollution exposure, including ambient air pollution and household air pollution, has been associated with several adverse health effects, such as heart diseases, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia and lung cancer. The path from exposure to health impact follows several steps: exposure concentration → internal dose → sub-clinical effects → early effects → adverse effects. Different types of studies have been conducted in an effort to investigate the relationship between exposure and health impact. For example, epidemiological studies have investigated the associations between exposure and health effects. The development of mathematical models, sampling technologies, as well as analysis methods and remote sensing are used to obtain exposure estimation. Individual mobile devices are used to acquire personal activity and location data. Additionally, biomarker data, including biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility, are collected and analyzed to further elucidate the relationship between exposure and disease. Recently, the concept of the exposome has been raised in exposure science; it can be defined as the measure of all the exposures of an individual in their lifetime, and how those exposures relate to health. Exposomics (the study of the exposome) as well as genomics, metabonomics, lipidomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, are being developed to better understand exposure–disease causation, as well as disease progress and mechanisms. The main goal of the study of exposure and health impact is to prevent disease through effective mitigation measures, such as the usage of clean energy, air pollutant emission regulation, and adequate transport networks of rapid transit combined with walking and cycling. This Special Issue aims to showcase the most scientific and technological advances in exposure estimation through geographic information technologies, biomonitoring for internal exposure and/or effect, exposure model development, causation identification between exposure and health impact, and mitigation measures for exposure reduction.

Original results from field and laboratory measurements, observational studies, models and review papers related to Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment are all welcome contributions.

Dr. Changqing Lin
Dr. Christos Argyropoulos
Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Atmosphere is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

air pollutant
biomarker
exposome
remote sensing
susceptibility
model development
sampling and analysis method

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollutants and Their Impact on Chronic Diseases—A Retrospective Study in Bucharest, Romania

Beatrice Mahler

Dragoș Băiceanu

Traian Constantin Panciu

Radu Marian Florea

Ana Luiza Iorga

Marcin Gnat

Cornelia Florina German

and

Florin Dumitru Mihălțan

Atmosphere 2023, 14(5), 867; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14050867 - 12 May 2023

Viewed by 546

Abstract

Air pollution is a serious problem in Romania, with the country ranking 13th among the most polluted countries in Europe in the 2021 World Air Quality Report. Despite the recognized impact of pollutants on health, there has been a lack of large-scale studies conducted in Romania. This study investigated the impact of air pollutants on patients with chronic respiratory, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or metabolic diseases in Bucharest and its metropolitan area from 20 August 2018 to 1 June 2022. The daily limit values for particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 were exceeded every month, especially during the cold season, with a decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. A significant statistical correlation was found between the monthly average values of PM2.5 and PM10 and hospitalizations for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. A 10 µg/m³ increase in monthly average values resulted in a 40–60% increase in admissions for each type of pathology, translating to more than 2000 admissions for each pathology for the study period. This study highlights the urgent need for national and local measures to ensure a cleaner environment and enhance public health in Romania according to international regulations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

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Open AccessArticle

Emissions of PAHs, Nitro-PAHs and Quinones (Oxy-PAHs) Associated to PM_1.0 and PM_2.5 Emitted by a Diesel Engine Fueled with Diesel-Biodiesel-Ethanol Blends

Joilson Nascimento Paim

Aldenor Gomes Santos

Rennan G. O. Araujo

Madson Moreira Nascimento

Jailson Bittencourt De Andrade

and

Lilian Lefol Nani Guarieiro

Atmosphere 2023, 14(4), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14040656 - 31 Mar 2023

Viewed by 841

Abstract

Emissions of PAH, nitro-PAHs, and oxy-PAHs from a diesel engine fueled with diesel-biodiesel-ethanol blends need to be controlled and reduced, as they are unregulated emissions harmful to the environment and human health. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of ethanol concentration on diesel engine emissions when fueled with diesel–biodiesel–ethanol blends. Ethanol was added with biodiesel–diesel blends. Diesel B7 and two ternary blends, B7E3 and B7E10, with 3% and 10% ethanol, were tested and studied in a diesel engine to determine engine performance characteristics and particulate matter emissions and to quantify polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) associated with PM_1.0 and PM_2.5. Under the same engine conditions, 18 PAHs, 27 nitro-PAHs, and 6 quinones (oxy-PAHs) were determined by GC–MS in real samples obtained from the engine. The mean concentrations of PACs found in the B7, B7E3, and B7E10 blends for PM_1.0 ranged from 0.1 µg m⁻³ (coronene) to 118.1 µg m⁻³ (2-nitrofluorene). The concentrations for PM_2.5 ranged from 0.1 µg m⁻³ (acenaphthylene) to 99.7 µg m⁻³ (2-nitrofluorene). Potent mutagens benzanthrone (BA) and 3-nitrobenzanthrone (3-NBA) were found at concentrations ranging from 0.10 µg m⁻³ to 1.9 µg m⁻³ and 0.3 µg m⁻³ to 1.6 µg m⁻³, respectively. Low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs were mainly PACs bounded to the PM_1.0 and PM_2.5 particles emitted by B7E10. Flow properties were improved by adding 3% and 10% ethanol to biodiesel. B7E3 and B7E10 blends presented low fuel consumption and a reduction in the emission factor (EF) by the engine. B7E10 blending showed a smaller total concentration of ∑PAH (26.8 µg m⁻³), ∑nitro-PAH (85.4 µg m⁻³), and ∑oxy-PAH (6.0 µg m⁻³) associated with PM_2.5 particles compared PM_1.0. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

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Open AccessArticle

Impact of Air Pollution on Residents’ Health in China: Moderating Effect Analysis Based on a Hierarchical Linear Model

Yu Liu

Zi-Shuang Wang

and

Xin-Ge Fang

Atmosphere 2023, 14(2), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14020334 - 07 Feb 2023

Viewed by 703

Abstract

Background: Air pollution is an important factor affecting residents’ health. Methods: Based on the health data of 9959 residents from 28 provinces in China in the 2017 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this paper uses a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to scientifically analyze the impact of air pollution on residents’ health and to explore the moderating role of air pollution in various factors influencing residents’ health. Results: Air pollution has significant negative effects on residents’ health (coef. −0.103, p < 0.01), while frequency of exercise (coef. 0.070, p < 0.01), education level (coef. 0.012, p < 0.1) and income level (coef. 0.383, p < 0.01) have positive effects on residents’ health. Air pollution has a negative moderating effect on the positive impact of exercise frequency on residents’ health (coef. −0.015, p = 0.004). Conclusions: Air pollution causes serious damage to residents’ health and it is necessary to control air pollution. Increasing residents’ income, education level and exercise frequency can help improve residents’ health level. Air pollution significantly reduce the positive impact of exercise frequency on residents’ health. In order to effectively improve their own health, it is a better choice for residents to exercise when the air quality is good. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

Open AccessArticle

The Association between Household Air Pollution and Blood Pressure in Obuasi Municipality, Ghana

Theresa Tawiah

Matthew Shupler

Stephaney Gyaase

Rachel Anderson de Cuevas

and

Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 2033; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13122033 - 03 Dec 2022

Viewed by 895

Abstract

Emerging evidence suggests a possible link between exposure to household air pollution (HAP) from a reliance on polluting solid fuels (SFs) (e.g., wood and charcoal) for cooking and high blood pressure. As part of the CLEAN-Air(Africa) project, we measured the blood pressure among 350 cooks in Obuasi Municipality, Ghana after 24 h exposure to particulate matter (PM_2.5) from the combustion of either solid fuels (n = 35) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (n = 35). Multinomial regression models were used to describe the relationship between different stages of blood pressure (mmHg) and the respondents’ main fuel type used, adjusting for key covariates. A linear regression model was used to describe the relationship between personal exposure to PM_2.5 and the respondent’s systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure, adjusting for key covariates. Blood pressure was higher in cooks using SFs for cooking than in those using LPG. A significant exposure–response relationship was not observed between increasing exposure to PM_2.5 and increasing blood pressure (systolic: β = −2.42, 95% CI: −8.65, 3.80, p-value = 0.438, and diastolic: β = −0.32, 95% CI: −5.09; 4.45, p-value = 0.893). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

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Open AccessArticle

Using a Pollution-to-Risk Method to Evaluate the Impact of a Cold Front: A Case Study in a Downstream Region in Southeastern China

Changqing Lin

and

Wengwan Zhang

Atmosphere 2022, 13(12), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13121944 - 22 Nov 2022

Viewed by 667

Abstract

Cold fronts frequently intrude China in winter, causing air pollution episodes in downwind regions. Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been used as a major proxy of air pollution to examine the impacts of cold fronts. Compared to particles, gaseous pollutants can cause comparable or even higher levels of short-term health risks. In this study, a pollution-to-risk model was used to systematically evaluate the impacts of cold fronts on the combined health risks of air pollution mixtures, including PM_2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). Dominant pollutants that caused significant mortality risks during a cold frontal passage in December 2019 over Fuzhou, a downwind city in southeastern China, were then examined. Under northerly frontal airflows, a pollution belt propagated southwards. In Fuzhou, two pollution peaks existed during the cold frontal passage. At the first peak, convergence and stagnant air in the frontal zone rapidly accumulated local air pollutants. The dominant pollutants that caused the mortality risk were identified as NO₂ and PM_2.5, both of which contributed 45% to the total risk. At the second peak, advection transported a significant amount of secondary pollutants from the upwind regions. Although PM_2.5 was the dominant pollutant at this peak, gaseous pollutants still accounted for 34% of the total risk. Our risk analyses underscore the significant health impacts of gaseous pollutants during cold frontal passages in winter. The results generated from this study will help guide environmental policy makers in forming and improving air pollution control strategies during pollution episodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

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Open AccessArticle

The Different Impact of PM2.5 on Atherogenesis in Overseas vs. Native Chinese in the CATHAY Study

and

Atmosphere 2022, 13(8), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13081236 - 03 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 980

Abstract

Air pollution (PM2.5) has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) globally and with early atherosclerosis surrogate markers in modernized China. A sizeable number of Chinese have migrated overseas, with an increase in their vulnerability to CVD. To evaluate the impact of PM2.5 air pollution on atherogenesis in native vs. overseas Chinese, we recruited 756 asymptomatic native Chinese and 507 age- and gender-matched overseas Chinese from Sydney and San Francisco. Their cardiovascular profiles were evaluated. PM2.5 was derived from remote sensing technology; atherosclerosis surrogate markers, flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) were measured by ultrasound. The native Chinese had a higher proportion of smokers as well as higher blood pressure, glucose, metabolic syndrome and PM2.5 exposure (p < 0.001), but lower lipids and folate than the overseas Chinese (p < 0.0001). Carotid IMT was lower in the native Chinese (p < 0.0001), but the other vascular parameters were similar. A multivariate regression revealed that FMD in the native Chinese was related to the male gender, age and location; in the overseas Chinese, it was related to age, but not to PM2.5. Carotid IMT in the native Chinese was related to PM2.5, independent of atherosclerotic risk factors and location (R² = 0.384, F = 34.5, p < 0.0001) whereas in the overseas Chinese, IMT was related to the male gender and age, but not to PM2.5 or overseas location (R² = 0.282, F = 19.7, p < 0.0001). PM2.5 had a greater impact on atherogenesis in the native Chinese, independent of traditional risk factors, with implications for preventive strategies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Air Pollution Exposure and Health Impact Assessment)

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