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New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM...
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New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM Released by Outdoor and Indoor Sources

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 April 2023) | Viewed by 9514

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lorenzo Massimi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: particulate matter; chemical composition; air pollutant distribution; spatial distribution; seasonal variation; indoor/outdoor concentration; chemical fractionation; source tracer; source apportionment; receptor modelling; PMF; oxidative potential; oxidative stress; biomonitoring; element; environmental exposure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Diego Piacentini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: plant abiotic stresses; plant physiology; environmental pollution; data visualization; open science; research integrity; scientific trends
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giulia Simonetti

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: particulate matter; air pollution; environmental chemistry; organic pollutants; source tracer; size distribution analysis; bioaerosol; oxidative potential; risk assessments; indoor/outdoor monitoring; occupational exposure
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Atmosphere dedicates this Special Issue to improving the knowledge about the association between health and environmental effects of particulate matter (PM) and its composition and sources. PM air pollution is one of the major risk factors for human health worldwide. Over the years, the negative effects of PM have been extensively investigated and many studies revealed that several PM properties influence its health and environmental effects. Recent studies identified the generation of oxidative stress as one of the major mechanisms by which PM exerts its adverse biological effects. The ability of PM to induce oxidative stress is frequently estimated by acellular oxidative potential (OP) measurements. Different methods have been proposed in the literature, but their ability to correctly represent the toxicological pathways of PM interaction with living organisms has not yet been fully demonstrated. Furthermore, in vivo exposure has been poorly applied in studies of the biological effects of PM, but it is crucial for investigating relationships between health effects and PM physic-chemical properties and sources. To this aim, Atmosphere welcomes submissions of multidisciplinary studies based on the synergic application to PM of traditional and innovative approaches for the evaluation of its chemical and biological composition and for the assessment of the different capacities of PM components released by outdoor and indoor sources to induce oxidative stress and toxicological effects in living organisms. Moreover, this Special Issue welcomes innovative studies for the evaluation of human and environmental biomonitoring exposure to PM air pollutants that allow planning mitigation measures necessary for protecting citizens’ health in the area of study.

Dr. Lorenzo Massimi
Dr. Diego Piacentini
Dr. Giulia Simonetti
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 2400 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

  • Particulate matter
  • Element
  • Air pollutant distribution
  • Indoor/outdoor concentration
  • Source apportionment
  • Biomonitoring
  • Environmental exposure
  • Oxidative potential
  • Oxidative stress

Published Papers (4 papers)

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20 pages, 2085 KiB  
Article
Comparisons of Spatial and Temporal Variations in PM2.5-Bound Trace Elements in Urban and Rural Areas of South Korea, and Associated Potential Health Risks
by Jayant Nirmalkar, Kwangyul Lee, Junyoung Ahn, Jiyi Lee and Mijung Song
Atmosphere 2023, 14(4), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos14040753 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1719
Abstract
PM2.5-bound trace elements were chosen for health risk assessment because they have been linked to an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular illness. Since the Korean national air quality standard for ambient particulate matter is based on PM2.5 mass concentration, [...] Read more.
PM2.5-bound trace elements were chosen for health risk assessment because they have been linked to an increased risk of respiratory and cardiovascular illness. Since the Korean national air quality standard for ambient particulate matter is based on PM2.5 mass concentration, there have only been a few measurements of PM2.5 particles together with trace elements that can be utilized to evaluate their effects on air quality and human health. Thus, this study describes the trace elements bound to PM2.5 in Seoul (urban area) and Seosan (rural area) using online nondestructive energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis from December 2020 to January 2021. At both the Seoul and Seosan sites, S, K, Si, Ca, and Fe constituted most of the PM2.5-bound trace elements (~95%); major components such as S, K, and soil (estimatedcalculatedcalculated based on oxides of Si, Fe, Ca, and Ti) were presumably from anthropogenic and crustal sources, as well as favorable meteorological conditions. During winter, synoptic meteorology favored the transport of particles from severely contaminated regions, such as the East Asian outflow and local emissions. The total dry deposition flux for crustal elements was 894.5 ± 320.8 µg m−2 d−1 in Seoul and 1088.8 ± 302.4 µg m−2 d−1 in Seosan. Moreover, potential health risks from the trace elements were estimated. Cancer risk values for carcinogenic trace elements (Cr, As, Ni, and Pb) were within the tolerable limit (1 × 10−6), suggesting that adults and children were not at risk of cancer throughout the study period in Seoul and Seosan. Furthermore, a potential risk assessment of human exposure to remaining carcinogens (Cr, As, Ni, and Pb) and non-carcinogens (Cu, Fe, Zn, V, Mn, and Se) indicated that these trace elements posed no health risks. Nevertheless, trace element monitoring, risk assessment, and mitigation must be strengthened throughout the study area to confirm that trace-element-related health effects remain harmless. Researchers and policymakers can use the database from this study on spatial and temporal variation to establish actions and plans in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM Released by Outdoor and Indoor Sources)
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16 pages, 2025 KiB  
Article
A New Method for the Assessment of the Oxidative Potential of Both Water-Soluble and Insoluble PM
by Maria Agostina Frezzini, Gianluca Di Iulio, Caterina Tiraboschi, Silvia Canepari and Lorenzo Massimi
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020349 - 19 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1961
Abstract
Water-soluble and insoluble fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) exhibit different toxicological potentials and peculiar mechanisms of action in biological systems. However, most of the research on the oxidative potential (OP) of PM is focused exclusively on its water-soluble fraction, since experimental criticisms [...] Read more.
Water-soluble and insoluble fractions of airborne particulate matter (PM) exhibit different toxicological potentials and peculiar mechanisms of action in biological systems. However, most of the research on the oxidative potential (OP) of PM is focused exclusively on its water-soluble fraction, since experimental criticisms were encountered for detaching the whole PM (soluble and insoluble species) from field filters. However, to estimate the actual potential effects of PM on human health, it is essential to assess the OP of both its water-soluble and insoluble fractions. In this study, to estimate the total OP (TOP), an efficient method for the detachment of intact PM10 from field filters by using an electrical toothbrush was applied to 20 PM10 filters in order to obtain PM10 water suspensions to be used for the DCFH, AA and DTT oxidative potential assays (OPDCFH, OPAA and OPDTT). The contribution of the insoluble PM10 to the TOP was evaluated by comparing the TOP values to those obtained by applying the three OP assays to the water-soluble fraction of 20 equivalent PM10 filters. The OP of the insoluble fraction (IOP) was calculated as the difference between the TOP and the WSOP. Moreover, each PM10 sample was analyzed for the water-soluble and insoluble fractions of 10 elements (Al, Cr, Cs, Cu, Fe, Li, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sn) identified as primary elemental tracers of the main emission sources in the study area. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the data obtained to identify the predominant sources for the determination of TOP, WSOP, and IOP. Results showed that water-soluble PM10 released by traffic, steel plant, and biomass burning is mainly responsible for the generation of the TOP as well as of the WSOP. This evidence gave strength to the reliability of the results from OP assays performed only on the water-soluble fraction of PM. Lastly, the IOPDCFH and IOPDTT were found to be principally determined by insoluble PM10 from mineral dust. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM Released by Outdoor and Indoor Sources)
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22 pages, 3788 KiB  
Article
Contribution of Physical and Chemical Properties to Dithiothreitol-Measured Oxidative Potentials of Atmospheric Aerosol Particles at Urban and Rural Sites in Japan
by Kazuki Kurihara, Ayumi Iwata, Samuel Gray Murray Horwitz, Kako Ogane, Tomoki Sugioka, Atsushi Matsuki and Tomoaki Okuda
Atmosphere 2022, 13(2), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13020319 - 14 Feb 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3294
Abstract
Dithiothreitol-measured oxidative potential (OPDTT) can chemically quantify the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols. Some chemical species are characterized with DTT activities, and the particle diameter and surface area control DTT oxidizability; however, the physical contribution to OPDTT by atmospheric [...] Read more.
Dithiothreitol-measured oxidative potential (OPDTT) can chemically quantify the adverse health effects of atmospheric aerosols. Some chemical species are characterized with DTT activities, and the particle diameter and surface area control DTT oxidizability; however, the physical contribution to OPDTT by atmospheric aerosols is controversial. Therefore, we performed field observations and aerosol sampling at urban and rural sites in Japan to investigate the effect of both physical and chemical properties on the variation in OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols. The shifting degree of the representative diameter to the ultrafine range (i.e., the predominance degree of ultrafine particles) was retrieved from the ratio between the lung-deposited surface area and mass concentrations. The chemical components and OPDTT were also elucidated. We discerned strong positive correlations of K, Mn, Pb, NH4+, SO42−, and pyrolyzable organic carbon with OPDTT. Hence, anthropogenic combustion, the iron–steel industry, and secondary organic aerosols were the major emission sources governing OPDTT variations. The increased specific surface area did not lead to the increase in the OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols, despite the existing relevance of the surface area of water-insoluble particles to DTT oxidizability. Overall, the OPDTT of atmospheric aerosols can be estimated by the mass of chemical components related to OPDTT variation, owing to numerous factors controlling DTT oxidizability (e.g., strong contribution of water-soluble particles). Our findings can be used to estimate OPDTT via several physicochemical parameters without its direct measurement. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM Released by Outdoor and Indoor Sources)
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12 pages, 5099 KiB  
Technical Note
The AtmChile Open-Source Interactive Application for Exploring Air Quality and Meteorological Data in Chile
by Francisco Catalán, Damián Chandia, Richard Toro Araya and Manuel A. Leiva Guzman
Atmosphere 2022, 13(9), 1364; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091364 - 26 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1685
Abstract
AtmChile is an R package that permits the download and management of data from the National Air Quality Information System (SINCA, Spanish acronyms) and the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC, Spanish acronyms) for multiple air quality and climatological parameters in a simple and intuitive [...] Read more.
AtmChile is an R package that permits the download and management of data from the National Air Quality Information System (SINCA, Spanish acronyms) and the Chilean Meteorological Directorate (DMC, Spanish acronyms) for multiple air quality and climatological parameters in a simple and intuitive platform. The AtmChile package includes the ChileAirQualityApp, a dashboard for enhancing the data download functions of this package with analysis, visualization, and descriptive statistics tools in a user-friendly manner. The AtmChile offers researchers and the public a highly intuitive open access package to download, validate, visualize, and preliminarily analyze air quality and climatological data available in Chile. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insights for Health and Environmental Impact Assessment of PM Released by Outdoor and Indoor Sources)
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