Special Issue "Health Effects of Air Pollution"

Guest Editor
Dr. Paraskevi N. Polymenakou
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Gournes Pediados, P.O.Box 2214, Heraklion Crete, Greece
E-Mail: polymen@her.hcmr.gr

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution includes all contaminants found in the atmosphere in the form of gases or particulates and particles of biological origin. Fuel combustion is the primary source of a large number of health-damaging air pollutants, including fine and respirable particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ozone (O3), atmospheric toxic metals such as lead, persistent free radicals and radioactive pollutants. In addition to chemical pollution, microbial air pollutants can include viruses, bacteria, fungi and their spores, lichen fragments, protists, spores and fragments of plants, pollen, small seeds and invertebrates.

Because it is located in the atmosphere, air pollution can travel over long distances affecting remote and pristine areas. As a result, air pollution has raised special concern due to its diverse serious consequences to the health of human beings (e.g. respiratory illness) and natural ecosystems (e.g. loss of biodiversity) on a global scale. Estimations indicated that about 100,000 deaths a year could be linked to ambient chemical air pollution in cities in the WHO European Region, shortening life expectancy by an average of a year. In addition, air microbiota can also directly impact human health via pathogenesis, the exposure of sensitive individuals to cellular components (e.g. pollen and fungal allergens and lipopolysaccharide), and the development of sensitivities (i.e. asthma) through prolonged exposure.

This special issue in Atmosphere is dedicated to cover a broad range of topics related to human and ecosystem health effects of outdoor air pollution. Submitted manuscripts must provide information on the risk assessment of potential health effects (including public and ecosystem health issues) that may occur from different types of pollutants exposure, the adverse health effects of transport-related air pollution (e.g. in mega cities), epidemiological studies. Studies that provide information on the implications of chemical (e.g. metals, pesticides, etc.) and biological (e.g. microorganisms, spores) pollutant transportation (e.g. with dust events) to large cities and downwind ecosystems are especially welcomed. Literature review papers in the relevant fields are also welcomed.

Dr. Paraskevi N. Polymenakou
Guest Editor

Submission

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. Papers will be published continuously (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as 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 refereed through a 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 quarterly 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 300 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections.

• outdoor air pollution
• microbial air pollutants
• public health effects
• ecosystem health effects
• pollutants transportation
• mega cities
• epediomological studies
• respiratory illness
• biodiversity loss
• literature review

Type of Paper: Article
Title: National and Regional Temporal Trend in Cardio-Pulmonary Mortality Risks Associated with Ozone of Warm Season in Canada
Authors: Hwashin Hyun Shin ^1,2, Rick Burnett ^1,2,  Dave Stieb ^1,2, Glen Takahara ³, Orly Brion ¹ and Barry Jessiman ⁴
Affiliation: ¹ Population Studies Division, Environmental health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Canada; E-Mail: Hwashin.Shin@hc-sc.gc.ca
² R. Samuel McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa, Canada
³ Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen’s University, Canada
⁴ Air Health Effects Division, Environmental health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, Canada
Abstract: In Canada ground-level ozone has been monitored as a main air pollutant that is linked to health outcomes such as mortality and morbidity. We have previously developed a dynamic model for annual public health risk at national and regional levels applying a Bayesian hierarchical 2-level model. In this study, using the dynamic spatial-temporal mortality risk model, we estimate annual association between daily ozone concentrations and daily mortality counts during warm season (April to September) for 21 years (1984 to 2004) at 24 Canadian cities classified into 4 regions based on mainly geographic location. To identify regional differences, we track heterogeneities within and between regions over time. Estimates of risk are compared by cause of mortality (cardio-pulmonary (CP) versus non-cardio-pulmonary (non-CP)). For the annual national risks, CP mortality, in comparison to non-CP mortality, was found to have overall higher risk (0.9% vs 0.6% per 10 ppb ozone) and less variation over time. The four regional risk estimates showed overall similar patterns being positively correlated (0.3-0.8) except for regions 2 and 4 that had a negative correlation of -0.005 for CP mortality. Both mortalities did not show any time trend in national and regional risks, respectively. The heterogeneity between regions, which is usually larger than that within regions, became unusually larger for 1993 only. No time trend in both within and between region heterogeneities was detected. We conclude that neither time trend nor regional differences in the adverse health effects of ozone was detected. However, further studies are necessary to understand the regional differences between regions 2 and 4, which cause the unusual large heterogeneity between regions for 1993.
Keywords: air pollution; Bayesian hierarchical model; cardio-pulmonary mortality; dynamic spatial-temporal mortality risk model; ground-level ozone

Type of Paper: Article
Title: Anthropogenic Climate Change and Pediatric Allergic Diseases
Authors: H. Anna Jeng
Affiliation: School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA; E-Mail: HJeng@odu.edu (H.A.J)
Abstract: This review article examines an association between climate change and aeroallergens, as well as pediatric allergic disease, including asthma, atopic dermatitis and/or allergic rhinitis. We specifically describe the evidence that links climate change to variations in aeroallergens, while exploring the evidence on exacerbation and development of allergic disease in children. Finally, potential for adaptation to the impact of climate change on aeroallergens and allergic diseases are discussed.

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Outdoor Air Pollutants: General Overview and the Impact on Public Health
Authors: Tsakas P. Marios, Siskos P. Apostolos, Sideri Vasiliki and Siskos A. Panayotis
Affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodestrian University of Athens, Greece; E-Mail: siskos@chem.uoa.gr
Abstract: The demands of increasing population coupled with the desire of most people for a higher material standard of living are resulting in worldwide increasing pollution on a massive scale. In some cases, pollution is a clear-cut phenomenon (e.g. emissions from an old industrial plant), some times it is difficult to be identified (e.g. microbial pollution) and in others lies largely in the eyes of the beholder (e.g. noise pollution). Outdoor air pollutants are contaminants which are present in the ambient air and have detrimental effects on human health or upon its environment. The aim of this literature review study is the comprehensive presentation of the major pollutants, which are commonly determined in studies in civil environment, as well as emerging pollutants with important impact in human health. The sources, the sampling and monitoring methods of these pollutants are discussed. In addition, this study contains critical up to date legislation issues concerning environmental pollution coming from these contaminants and, finally, their impact on public health.
Keywords: outdoor pollutants; sources; sampling; monitoring; legislation; health effects