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Atmosphere
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Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects
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Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 17831

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hsiao-Chi Chuang

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Guest Editor
School of Respiratory Therapy, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan
Interests: inhalation toxicology; environmental medicine; occupational medicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Kin-Fai Ho

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Guest Editor
JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: indoor/outdoor air pollution and health; particle toxicology; exposure assessment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Yang Chen

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Guest Editor
Center for Atmospheric Environment research, Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
Interests: indoor/outdoor air pollution and health; exposure assessment; aerosol chemistry
Dr. Li-Te Chang

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Engineering and Science, Feng Chia University, No. 100, Wenhwa Road, Taichung 40724, Taiwan
Interests: air pollution monitoring; exposure assessment; health risk assessment; indoor air quality; environmental health; industrial hygiene
Dr. Ching-Huang Lai

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Guest Editor
National Defense Medical Center, R4325, 161 Min-Chuan E. Rd., Sec 6, Taipei 114, Taiwan
Interests: occupational environmental epidemiology; exposure assessment, biomarker
Prof. Dr. Hualiang Lin

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Guest Editor
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
Interests: air pollution and its interaction with genetic susceptibility; climate change; chronic non-communicable diseases; disease burden
Dr. Tim Jones

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Guest Editor
Department of Earth Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF1 3YE, UK
Interests: particulate air pollution; contamination; human health; geoenvironmental research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution in the Asia is not only a major health risk, it also has damaging impacts on the environment and agricultural crop yields. These impacts have significant economic consequences, affecting economic growth as well as welfare. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have caused significant amounts of air pollution being emitted into the atmosphere, which annually contribute to 4.2 million premature deaths and 103.1 million disability-adjusted life-years according to the 2015 Global Burden of Disease study report. Reducing air pollution in Asia is the main target to provide better air quality and protect human welfares.

Over the past two decades, the health effects resulted from exposure to air pollution (i.e. particulate matter (PM) and gases) have been subjected to intensive research. Epidemiological studies have linked outdoor air pollution to increase human morbidity and mortality. The physicochemical characteristics of PM is an important determinant in regulation of particle toxicity and the resultant human effects. Now, increasing techniques and approaches have been used to investigate the formation of atmospheric aerosols as well as used for personal exposure assessment (i.e. machine learning and land-use regression model).

In the urban area, people spend more than 80% of their time indoors. Therefore, the investigation of air quality in enclosed environments is now being pushed to the fore-front of air pollution research. Human indoor activities involving combustion, such as smoking, cooking and incense burning, results in the rapid generation of significant amounts of PM less than 2.5 μm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles (UFPs; ≤ 100 nm aerodynamic diameter), which are able to by-pass the defence mechanisms of the respiratory tracts and deposit in the distal respiratory system with resultant initiation of pulmonary disease driven by oxidative stress. This study investigated oxidative capacity, in terms of reactive oxygen species (ROS), driven by the physicochemistry of PM.

Epidemiological evidence have showed that non-communicable disease such as cardiopulmonary disease linked to air pollution exposure. The secondary organs such as brain and liver have also been identified to be affected by air pollution. Addition, PM has been reported to be a carrier for bacteria and virus. Such platform provided by PM may be a transmission model for spreading communicable disease in the atmosphere.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collect contributions, original results, review papers, and novel approaches aiming to characterize outdoor and indoor particles/aerosol and adverse effects on human health.

Subject areas may include, but are not limited to:

  • Physicochemical characterization of indoor and outdoor particulate matter/aerosol
  • Novel methodology to characterize atmospheric particles/aerosol
  • Novel models for personal exposure assessment
  • Communicable and non-communicable disease
  • Particle toxicology
  • Epidemiology
  • Occupational health
Dr. Hsiao-Chi Chuang
Prof. Dr. Kin-Fai Ho
Prof. Dr. Yang Chen
Dr. Li-Te Chang
Dr. Ching-Huang Lai
Dr. Hualiang Lin
Prof. Dr. Tim Jones

Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • air pollution
  • epidemiology
  • health
  • indoor
  • outdoor
  • particulate matter
  • physicochemistry

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 663 KiB  
Article
Estimation of the Size Distribution of Suspended Particulate Matters in the Urban Atmospheric Surface Layer and Its Influence on Bronchopulmonary Pathology
by Lyudmila V. Veremchuk, Tatyana I. Vitkina, Lyudmila S. Barskova, Tatyana A. Gvozdenko and Elena E. Mineeva
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12081010 - 6 Aug 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2050
Abstract
The surface layer of the urban atmosphere significantly affects human health. Its quality depends on the level of air pollution. The aim was to determine the size distribution of suspended particulate matters (SPMs) in the atmospheric surface layer of Vladivostok city and to [...] Read more.
The surface layer of the urban atmosphere significantly affects human health. Its quality depends on the level of air pollution. The aim was to determine the size distribution of suspended particulate matters (SPMs) in the atmospheric surface layer of Vladivostok city and to assess the response of the blood immune and metabolic parameters of the population with bronchopulmonary pathology. Sampling of SPMs was conducted in the continental zone of the city with a high level of technogenic pollution (138 samples) and the island part of the city with an insignificant level of technogenic pollution (132 samples). The SPM fractional composition was analyzed by laser granulometry. We examined patients with bronchopulmonary pathology living in a one-kilometer zone centered on sampling area for at least 5 years (continental territory—220 patients, island territory—176 patients). We calculated the D% index characterizing the integral response of the blood immune and metabolic parameters to the exposure of dust fractions. It was found that PM > 10 (mainly of a natural origin) predominate in the island zone with insignificant level of technogenic pollution. The PM10 fraction prevails in the area with a high level of technogenic pollution. The response of the immune and metabolic systems to the exposure to microparticles in population living in the marine and forest/park zone of the island indicates a health-improving effect of the area. Low values of D% were detected for the patients living in the area with a high air pollution level, indicating a pathogenic reaction of immune and prooxidant-oxidative systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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20 pages, 4655 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Transcriptomic Resilience following Increased Alternative Splicing and Differential Isoform Production between Air Pollution Conurbations
by Shengkai Pan, Xiaokai Feng, Daniel Pass, Rachel A. Adams, Yusong Wang, Xuemin Dong, Zhenzhen Lin, Chunguo Jiang, Tim P. Jones, Kelly A. BéruBé and Xiangjiang Zhan
Atmosphere 2021, 12(8), 959; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12080959 - 26 Jul 2021
Viewed by 2467
Abstract
Adverse health outcomes caused by ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution occur in a progressive process, with neutrophils eliciting inflammation or pathogenesis. We investigated the toxico-transcriptomic mechanisms of PM in real-life settings by comparing healthy residents living in Beijing and Chengde, the opposing ends [...] Read more.
Adverse health outcomes caused by ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution occur in a progressive process, with neutrophils eliciting inflammation or pathogenesis. We investigated the toxico-transcriptomic mechanisms of PM in real-life settings by comparing healthy residents living in Beijing and Chengde, the opposing ends of a well-recognised air pollution (AP) corridor in China. Beijing recruits (BRs) uniquely expressed ~12,000 alternative splicing (AS)-derived transcripts, largely elevating the proportion of transcripts significantly correlated with PM concentration. BRs expressed PM-associated isoforms (PMAIs) of PFKFB3 and LDHA, encoding enzymes responsible for stimulating and maintaining glycolysis. PMAIs of PFKFB3 featured different COOH-terminals, targeting PFKFB3 to different sub-cellular functional compartments and stimulating glycolysis. PMAIs of LDHA have longer 3′UTRs relative to those expressed in Chengde recruits (CRs), allowing glycolysis maintenance by enhancing LDHA mRNA stability and translational efficiency. PMAIs were directly regulated by different HIF-1A and HIF-1B isoforms. BRs expressed more non-functional Fas isoforms, and a resultant reduction of intact Fas proportion is expected to inhibit the transmission of apoptotic signals and prolong neutrophil lifespan. BRs expressed both membrane-bound and soluble IL-6R isoforms instead of only one in CRs. The presence of both IL-6R isoforms suggested a higher migration capacity of neutrophils in BRs. PMAIs of HIF-1A and PFKFB3 were downregulated in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients compared with BRs, implying HIF-1 mediated defective glycolysis may mediate neutrophil dysfunction. PMAIs could explain large variances of different phenotypes, highlighting their potential application as biomarkers and therapeutic targets in PM-induced diseases, which remain poorly elucidated. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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16 pages, 6134 KiB  
Article
Chemical Composition of Gas and Particle Phase Products of Toluene Photooxidation Reaction under High OH Exposure Condition
by Yik-Sze Lau, Man-Nin Chan, Hon-Yin Poon, Yan Tan, Shun-Cheng Lee, Jianjun Li and Kin-Fai Ho
Atmosphere 2021, 12(7), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12070915 - 15 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3522
Abstract
In the current study, the photooxidation reaction of toluene (C7H8) was investigated in a Potential Aerosol Mass Oxidation Flow Reactor (PAM OFR). The hydroxyl radical (OH) exposure of toluene in the PAM OFR ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 × [...] Read more.
In the current study, the photooxidation reaction of toluene (C7H8) was investigated in a Potential Aerosol Mass Oxidation Flow Reactor (PAM OFR). The hydroxyl radical (OH) exposure of toluene in the PAM OFR ranged from 0.4 to 1.4 × 1012 molec cm−3 s, which is equivalent to 3 to 12 days of atmospheric oxidation. A proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) and a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) were used to study the gas-phase products formed and particle number changes of the oxidation reaction in PAM OFR. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formed in the PAM OFR was also collected for off-line chemical analysis. Key gas-phase reaction products of toluene, including glyoxal, methyl glyoxal, unsaturated carbonyl compounds, and benzaldehyde, were identified by the PTR-MS. Second generation products, including acetic acid, formaldehyde, formic acid, and acetaldehyde, were also detected. By comparing the mass spectrums obtained under different OH exposures and relative humidity (RH), changes in the two parameters have minimal effects on the composition of gas-phase products formed, expect for the spectrum obtained at OH exposure of 0.4 × 1012 cm−3 s and RH = 17%, which is slightly different from other spectrums. SMPS results showed that particle mass concentration increases with increasing OH exposure, while particle number concentration first increases and then decreases with increasing OH exposure. This result probably suggests the formation of oligomers at high OH exposure conditions. Off-line chemical analysis of the SOA sample was dominated by C4 diacids, including malic acid, citramalic acid, and tartaric acid. The well-known toluene SOA marker 2,3-Dihydroxy-4-oxopentanoic acid, as well as 2,3-dihydroxyglutaric acid, which has not been identified in previous toluene photooxidation experiments, were also detected in the SOA sample. Our results showed good agreements with the results of previous smog chamber studies of toluene photooxidation reaction, and they suggested that using PAM OFR for studies of oxidation reaction of different VOCs can be atmospherically relevant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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16 pages, 2401 KiB  
Article
Quantifying Air Pollutant Variations during COVID-19 Lockdown in a Capital City in Northwest China
by Rong Feng, Hongmei Xu, Zexuan Wang, Yunxuan Gu, Zhe Liu, Haijing Zhang, Tian Zhang, Qiyuan Wang, Qian Zhang, Suixin Liu, Zhenxing Shen and Qin Wang
Atmosphere 2021, 12(6), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12060788 - 19 Jun 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2960
Abstract
In the context of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), strict lockdown policies were implemented to control nonessential human activities in Xi’an, northwest China, which greatly limited the spread of the pandemic and affected air quality. Compared with pre-lockdown, the air quality [...] Read more.
In the context of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), strict lockdown policies were implemented to control nonessential human activities in Xi’an, northwest China, which greatly limited the spread of the pandemic and affected air quality. Compared with pre-lockdown, the air quality index and concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, and CO during the lockdown reduced, but the reductions were not very significant. NO2 levels exhibited the largest decrease (52%) during lockdown, owing to the remarkable decreased motor vehicle emissions. The highest K+ and lowest Ca2+ concentrations in PM2.5 samples could be attributed to the increase in household biomass fuel consumption in suburbs and rural areas around Xi’an and the decrease in human physical activities in Xi’an (e.g., human travel, vehicle emissions, construction activities), respectively, during the lockdown period. Secondary chemical reactions in the atmosphere increased in the lockdown period, as evidenced by the increased O3 level (increased by 160%) and OC/EC ratios in PM2.5 (increased by 26%), compared with pre-lockdown levels. The results, based on a natural experiment in this study, can be used as a reference for studying the formation and source of air pollution in Xi’an and provide evidence for establishing future long-term air pollution control policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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10 pages, 5068 KiB  
Article
Hepatotoxicity Caused by Repeated and Subchronic Pulmonary Exposure to Low-Level Vinyl Chloride in Mice
by Li-Te Chang, Yueh-Lun Lee, Tzu-Hsuen Yuan, Jer-Hwa Chang, Ta-Yuan Chang, Chii-Hong Lee, Kin-Fai Ho and Hsiao-Chi Chuang
Atmosphere 2021, 12(5), 596; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12050596 - 4 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2155
Abstract
Vinyl chloride (VC) is classified as a group 1 carcinogen to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and inhalation is considered to be an important route of occupational exposure. In addition, increasing numbers of studies have observed adverse health effects [...] Read more.
Vinyl chloride (VC) is classified as a group 1 carcinogen to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and inhalation is considered to be an important route of occupational exposure. In addition, increasing numbers of studies have observed adverse health effects in people living in the vicinity of petrochemical complexes. The objective of this study was to investigate the adverse in vivo health effects on the lungs and liver caused by pulmonary exposure to low-level VC. BALB/c mice were repeatedly intranasally administrated 50 µL/mouse VC at 0, 1, and 200 ng/mL (5 days/week) for 1, 2, and 3 weeks. We observed that exposure to 1 and 200 ng/mL VC significantly increased the tidal volume (μL). Dynamic compliance (mL/cmH2O) significantly decreased after exposure to 200 ng/mL VC for 3 weeks. Total protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and interleukin (IL)-6 levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) significantly increased after exposure to 200 ng/mL VC for 2 and/or 3 weeks. Significant decreases in 8-isoprostane and caspase-3 and an increase in IL-6 in the lungs were found after VC exposure for 2 and/or 3 weeks. We observed that aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP), albumin (ALB), and globulin (GLOB) had significantly increased after three weeks of VC exposure, whereas the ALB/GLOB ratio had significantly decreased after 3 weeks of exposure to VC. IL-6 in the liver increased after exposure to 1 ng/mL VC, but decreased after exposure to 200 ng/mL. IL-1β in the liver significantly decreased following exposure to 200 ng/mL VC, whereas tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and caspase-3 significantly increased. Hepatic inflammatory infiltration was confirmed by histological observations. In conclusion, sub-chronic and repeated exposure to low levels of VC can cause lung and liver toxicity in vivo. Attention should be paid to all situations where humans are frequently exposed to elevated VC levels such as workplaces or residents living in the vicinity of petrochemical complexes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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17 pages, 2392 KiB  
Article
Spatial Distribution, Source Apportionment, Ozone Formation Potential, and Health Risks of Volatile Organic Compounds over a Typical Central Plain City in China
by Kun He, Zhenxing Shen, Jian Sun, Yali Lei, Yue Zhang and Xin Wang
Atmosphere 2020, 11(12), 1365; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos11121365 - 16 Dec 2020
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2947
Abstract
The profiles, contributions to ozone formation, and associated health risks of 56 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) species were investigated using high time resolution observations from photochemical assessment monitoring stations (PAMs) in Luoyang, China. The daily averaged concentration of total VOCs (TVOCs) was 21.66 [...] Read more.
The profiles, contributions to ozone formation, and associated health risks of 56 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) species were investigated using high time resolution observations from photochemical assessment monitoring stations (PAMs) in Luoyang, China. The daily averaged concentration of total VOCs (TVOCs) was 21.66 ± 10.34 ppbv in urban areas, 14.45 ± 7.40 ppbv in suburbs, and 37.58 ± 13.99 ppbv in an industrial zone. Overall, the VOCs levels in these nine sites followed a decreasing sequence of alkanes > aromatics > alkenes > alkyne. Diurnal variations in VOCs exhibited two peaks at 8:00–9:00 and 19:00–20:00, with one valley at 23:00–24:00. Source apportionment indicated that vehicle and industrial emissions were the dominant sources of VOCs in urban and suburban sites. The industrial site displayed extreme levels, with contributions from petrochemical-related sources of up to 38.3%. Alkenes and aromatics displayed the highest ozone formation potentials because of their high photochemical reactivity. Cancer and noncancer risks in the industrial site were higher than those in the urban and suburban areas, and USEPA possible risk thresholds were reached in the industrial site, indicating PAMs VOC–related health problems cannot be ignored. Therefore, vehicle and industrial emissions should be prioritized when considering VOCs and O3 control strategies in Luoyang. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Physicochemistry of Indoor and Outdoor Particulate Matter and Health Effects)
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