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Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large...
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Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas

A special issue of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433). This special issue belongs to the section "Aerosols".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 April 2021) | Viewed by 21265

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Markus Furger

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Paul Scherrer Institut
Interests: atmospheric aerosols; metals; X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF); air quality; source apportionment
Dr. Gaëlle Uzu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
IGE, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38400 Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
Interests: atmospheric geochemistry; source apportionment; health impacts; oxidative potential or health proxy; atmospheric tracers; air exposure and health risk assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Large urban areas are often subject to elevated levels of air pollution impacting on the people living and working there. Particulate matter (PM), either directly emitted from combustion and other processes, or indirectly formed by chemical reactions during transport in the atmosphere, contributes substantially to harmful pollutants with negative health effects. In recent years, with the widespread availability of appropriate analysis techniques, the chemical composition of PM has come into focus when studying health and other environmental impacts, allowing for a more detailed analysis of PM sources and mechanisms linking PM composition to various diseases. In this respect, trace elements (e.g., metals, PAH and derivatives, emerging organic pollutants and endotoxins) and their toxicity are considered to be key factors. Even though trace elements often make up rather a minor fraction of the total mass of PM, their impact on the environment and human health is important, and further investigation is required.

This Special Issue shall provide a platform for the publication of recent original research articles or review articles on:

  • traditional and newly developed instrumentation and analysis methods for elements in ambient aerosols, applied to large urban areas with numerous emitters;
  • results of recent field studies applying such methods to quantify and characterize PM elemental composition, describing its origin, transport and transformation;
  • source identification based on or incorporating elemental composition in large cities;
  • studies on the impact of PM trace elements and their toxicity on human health in large urban areas; and
  • future trends and lines of investigation with respect to elements/metals in PM.

Dr. Markus Furger
Dr. Gaëlle Uzu
Guest Editor

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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

  • elemental analysis
  • chemical composition
  • trace elements (metal, organic (PAH and derivatives, microplastics, etc.) and biological (endotoxins, bacteria, etc.))
  • source apportionment
  • aerosols
  • particulate matter
  • health.

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 5752 KiB  
Article
Determination and Similarity Analysis of PM2.5 Emission Source Profiles Based on Organic Markers for Monterrey, Mexico
by Yasmany Mancilla, Gerardo Medina, Lucy T. González, Pierre Herckes, Matthew P. Fraser and Alberto Mendoza
Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 554; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050554 - 26 Apr 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2825
Abstract
Source attribution of airborne particulate matter (PM) relies on a host of different chemical species. Organic molecular markers are a set of particularly useful marker compounds for estimating source contributions to the fine PM fraction (i.e., PM2.5). Although there are many [...] Read more.
Source attribution of airborne particulate matter (PM) relies on a host of different chemical species. Organic molecular markers are a set of particularly useful marker compounds for estimating source contributions to the fine PM fraction (i.e., PM2.5). Although there are many source apportionment studies based on organic markers, these studies heavily rely on the few studies that report region-specific emission profiles. Source attribution efforts, particularly those conducted in countries with emerging economies, benefit from ad hoc information to conduct the corresponding analyses. In this study, we report organic molecular marker source profiles for PM2.5 emitted from 12 major sources types from five general source categories (meat cooking operations, vehicle exhausts, industries, biomass and trash burning, and urban background) for the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (Mexico). Source emission samples were obtained from a ground-based source-dominated sampling approach. Filter-based instruments were utilized, and the loaded filters were chemically characterized for organic markers by GC-MS. Levoglucosan and cholesterol dominate charbroiled-cooking operation sources while methoxyphenols, PAHs and hopanes dominate open-waste burning, vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, respectively. A statistical analysis showed values of the Pearson distance < 0.4 and the similarity identity distance > 0.8 in all cases, indicating dissimilar source profiles. This was supported by the coefficient of divergence average values that ranged from 0.62 to 0.72. These profiles could further be utilized in receptor models to conduct source apportionment in regions with similar characteristics and can also be used to develop air pollution abatement strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas)
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19 pages, 2729 KiB  
Article
Quantification of Non-Exhaust Particulate Matter Traffic Emissions and the Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown at London Marylebone Road
by William Hicks, Sean Beevers, Anja H. Tremper, Gregor Stewart, Max Priestman, Frank J. Kelly, Mathias Lanoisellé, Dave Lowry and David C. Green
Atmosphere 2021, 12(2), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020190 - 31 Jan 2021
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 8944
Abstract
This research quantifies current sources of non-exhaust particulate matter traffic emissions in London using simultaneous, highly time-resolved, atmospheric particulate matter mass and chemical composition measurements. The measurement campaign ran at Marylebone Road (roadside) and Honor Oak Park (background) urban monitoring sites over a [...] Read more.
This research quantifies current sources of non-exhaust particulate matter traffic emissions in London using simultaneous, highly time-resolved, atmospheric particulate matter mass and chemical composition measurements. The measurement campaign ran at Marylebone Road (roadside) and Honor Oak Park (background) urban monitoring sites over a 12-month period between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020. The measurement data were used to determine the traffic increment (roadside–background) and covered a range of meteorological conditions, seasons, and driving styles, as well as the influence of the COVID-19 “lockdown” on non-exhaust concentrations. Non-exhaust particulate matter (PM)10 concentrations were calculated using chemical tracer scaling factors for brake wear (barium), tyre wear (zinc), and resuspension (silicon) and as average vehicle fleet non-exhaust emission factors, using a CO2 “dilution approach”. The effect of lockdown, which saw a 32% reduction in traffic volume and a 15% increase in average speed on Marylebone Road, resulted in lower PM10 and PM2.5 traffic increments and brake wear concentrations but similar tyre and resuspension concentrations, confirming that factors that determine non-exhaust emissions are complex. Brake wear was found to be the highest average non-exhaust emission source. In addition, results indicate that non-exhaust emission factors were dependent upon speed and road surface wetness conditions. Further statistical analysis incorporating a wider variability in vehicle mix, speeds, and meteorological conditions, as well as advanced source apportionment of the PM measurement data, were undertaken to enhance our understanding of these important vehicle sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas)
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13 pages, 2922 KiB  
Article
Complex Characterization of Fine Fraction and Source Contribution to PM2.5 Mass at an Urban Area in Central Europe
by Lucyna Samek, Anna Turek-Fijak, Alicja Skiba, Przemyslaw Furman, Katarzyna Styszko, Leszek Furman and Zdzislaw Stegowski
Atmosphere 2020, 11(10), 1085; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11101085 - 13 Oct 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2660
Abstract
It is well documented that Southern Poland is one of the most polluted areas in Europe due to the highest airborne concentrations of particulate matter (PM). Concentrations of fine particles are especially high in winter. Apart from detailed number concentrations, it is essential [...] Read more.
It is well documented that Southern Poland is one of the most polluted areas in Europe due to the highest airborne concentrations of particulate matter (PM). Concentrations of fine particles are especially high in winter. Apart from detailed number concentrations, it is essential to accurately identify and quantify specific particulate pollution sources. Only a few Polish research centers are involved in such experiments—among them is Krakow research group. For the most part, research focuses on collecting 24-h average samples from stationary PM samplers at ambient monitoring sites and quantifying the specific elements and chemical constituents in PM. This approach includes modeling methods that can use the variability in physical and chemical PM characteristics as an input dataset to identify possible sources of the particles. The objective of this paper is to provide research results based on data collected from June 2018 to May 2019 from a single monitoring station at a central urban site. Careful comparison of data obtained prior to a 2019 law prohibiting solid fuel burning in the city of Krakow with data (2019–2020) when a regulation went into effect should indicate progress by noting lower PM levels. This work has shown that the method applied and Krakow results might be of interest to the broader community in regions of high PM concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas)
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Review

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22 pages, 12235 KiB  
Review
Air Pollution in New Delhi during Late Winter: An Overview of a Group of Campaign Studies Focusing on Composition and Sources
by Shamitaksha Talukdar, Sachchida Nand Tripathi, Vipul Lalchandani, Maheswar Rupakheti, Himadri Sekhar Bhowmik, Ashutosh K. Shukla, Vishnu Murari, Ravi Sahu, Vaishali Jain, Nidhi Tripathi, Jay Dave, Neeraj Rastogi and Lokesh Sahu
Atmosphere 2021, 12(11), 1432; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12111432 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5489
Abstract
In recent times, a significant number of studies on the composition and sources of fine particulate matters and volatile organic compounds have been carried out over Delhi, either initiated by or in association with the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur [...] Read more.
In recent times, a significant number of studies on the composition and sources of fine particulate matters and volatile organic compounds have been carried out over Delhi, either initiated by or in association with the researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), in collaboration with researchers from within and outside India. All these studies utilized highly time-resolved, campaign-mode observations made with state-of-the-art instrumentation during the late winter months (mid-January to March) of 2018. Individually, each of these studies were rigorous in nature, containing explicit detailing about different types of ambient air pollutants in Delhi such as organic aerosols, inorganic elements, metals, carbonaceous aerosols, and volatile organic compounds. This study consolidates the extremely useful knowledge on source attribution of these air pollutants in the Delhi National Capital Region currently contained in these fragmented studies, which is vital to further enhancing our understanding of composition, characteristics, and sources of air pollutants over Delhi, as well as to designing appropriate mitigation measures tailored to local specifics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas)
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