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Atmosphere
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Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition)
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Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 17 June 2025 | Viewed by 7112

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Haider A. Khwaja

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environmental Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
Interests: acid rain; cloud water chemistry; water and human health issues; health impacts of air pollution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Azhar Siddique

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Environment and Sustainability Center, Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar
Interests: air pollution studies; air quality; water quality; public health; environmental chemistry; environmental science; environmental analysis; health risk assessment; environmental pollution; environmental monitoring
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mirza M. Hussain

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wadsworth Center, New York state Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA
Interests: air quality; particulate matter; atmospheric pollution; air pollution studies; air sampling; aerosol chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After successfully launching the first and second volumes of this Special Issue (“Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health”: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere/special_issues/outdoor_pollution_health; “Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (2nd Edition)”: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere/special_issues/outdoor_pollution_health_2nd_Volume), we decided to expand our Special Issue into a third volume due to interest from numerous scholars.

Outdoor air pollution is the world’s leading environmental health threat, contributing to about 7 million premature deaths annually. The global cost of air pollution in 2018 was USD 2.9 trillion or about 3.3% of the entire world’s economic output. Rapid population growth and industrial growth are accompanied by intense but poorly regulated human activities. The mixing of natural emissions with anthropogenic emissions from fossil fuel combustion, agricultural burning, industrial activities, vehicular traffic, household cooking and heating, etc., creates a complex environment. Many pollutants such as gases (ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds), biological particles (bacteria, fungi, pollen), and particulate matter (inorganic and organic components) are considered key indicators of outdoor air pollution. Air pollution exposure is a well-known driver of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, lung cancer, communicable diseases like pneumonia, diabetes, low birth weight, tuberculosis, mental health, and it has cognitive impacts on people such as those with autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. A better understanding of the levels and sources of air pollutants and the key contributors to their health burden is critical for implementing effective air pollution control strategies. This Special Issue will consider all innovative papers on “Outdoor Air Pollution and Its Impact on Human Health”.

Dr. Haider A. Khwaja
Dr. Azhar Siddique
Dr. Mirza M. Hussain
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

  • air pollution
  • particulate matter
  • source apportionment
  • exposure assessment
  • epidemiological studies
  • biological mechanisms
  • mitigation strategies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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22 pages, 30379 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Mortality Attributable to Air Pollution in the Urban Area of Pisa (Central Italy) Characterized by Multi-Source Exposures
by Elisa Bustaffa, Marco Redini and Fabrizio Minichilli
Atmosphere 2024, 15(11), 1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15111311 - 30 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1053
Abstract
Air pollution is one of the main risk factors for human health. The aim of this study was to provide an Integrated Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (IEHIA) tool to estimate the impacts on both environment and human health in Pisa municipality (central [...] Read more.
Air pollution is one of the main risk factors for human health. The aim of this study was to provide an Integrated Environmental and Health Impact Assessment (IEHIA) tool to estimate the impacts on both environment and human health in Pisa municipality (central Italy). For each pollutant considered (PM2.5, PM10, and NO2), both Population-Weighted Exposure (PWE) and Attributable Deaths (ADs) were calculated considering the difference between the PWE and the latest air quality guidelines suggested by the World Health Organization. The PWEs were 16.1 µg/m3, 24.9 µg/m3, and 25.9 µg/m3 for PM2.5, PM10, and NO2, respectively. The ADs from natural causes due to exposure to PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 were 63, 29, and 51, respectively. The AD distribution was mainly concentrated in urban areas for particulate matter and in urban and suburban areas for NO2. The results highlighted significantly higher levels of air pollution than the reference levels, with a percentage of ADs from natural causes of approximately 6% of the total mortality in Pisa. IEHIA offers support for environmental and health policies and territorial planning. The authors recommend the adoption of prevention measures aimed at mitigating air pollution in critical areas, with a consequent reduction in avoidable mortality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition))
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17 pages, 5955 KiB  
Article
Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) and PM2.5 Composition in a United States Intermountain Western Valley and Estimation of Human Health Risk
by Damien T. Ketcherside, Dylan D. Miller, Dalynn R. Kenerson, Phillip S. Scott, John P. Andrew, Melanie A. Y. Bakker, Brandi A. Bundy, Brian K. Grimm, Jiahong Li, Laurel A. Nuñez, Dorian L. Pittman, Reece P. Uhlorn and Nancy A. C. Johnston
Atmosphere 2024, 15(10), 1172; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15101172 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 2141
Abstract
With a warmer and drier climate, there has been an increase in wildfire events in the Northwest U.S., posing a potential health risk to downwind communities. The Lewis–Clark Valley (LCV), a small metropolitan area on the Washington/Idaho border in the United States Intermountain [...] Read more.
With a warmer and drier climate, there has been an increase in wildfire events in the Northwest U.S., posing a potential health risk to downwind communities. The Lewis–Clark Valley (LCV), a small metropolitan area on the Washington/Idaho border in the United States Intermountain West region, was studied over the time period of 2017–2018. The main objective was to determine the community’s exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during wildfire smoke events and to estimate the associated health risk. VOCs were analyzed previously in the LCV using sorbent tube sampling and thermal-desorption gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) during several local smoke events in the 2017–2018 fire seasons. PM2.5 measurements were obtained from nearby agency monitors. PM2.5 reached up to 200 µg/m3 in 2017 and over 100 µg/m3 in 2018 in the LCV, and has been observed to be increasing at a rate of 0.10 µg m−3/yr over the past two decades. Benzene, a carcinogen and air toxic, was measured with concentrations up to 11 µg/m3, over ten times the normal level in some instances, in the LCV. The health risk in the LCV from benzene was calculated at seven extra cancers per million for lifetime exposure and thirteen extra cancers per million considering all air toxics measured. The other cities monitored showed similar lifetime cancer risk, due to benzene of about 6–7 extra cancers per million. This work is important, as it measures ground-level exposures of VOCs and demonstrates decreases in PM2.5 air quality over time in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition))
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9 pages, 724 KiB  
Article
Dust Storms Are Associated with an Increase in Outpatient Visits for Rheumatoid Arthritis
by Conmin Chen, Chin-Shyan Chen and Tsai-Ching Liu
Atmosphere 2024, 15(9), 1059; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15091059 - 1 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1362
Abstract
Our study is the first to illuminate a previously underexplored dimension in the intricate interplay between environmental factors, specifically dust storms (DSs), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outcomes. An Auto Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) time-series estimation model was employed to analyze rheumatoid arthritis outpatient [...] Read more.
Our study is the first to illuminate a previously underexplored dimension in the intricate interplay between environmental factors, specifically dust storms (DSs), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) outcomes. An Auto Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) time-series estimation model was employed to analyze rheumatoid arthritis outpatient visits, dust storms, air pollution, and meteorology data in Taiwan from 2006 to 2012. The results show that females are three times more likely to experience RA-related issues and seek medical attention. Percentage analysis revealed a 10–15% increase in daily RA outpatient visits on post-event days 1 and 2 compared to non-DS days. However, the time-series estimation indicated a delayed and statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in RA outpatient visits on post-event day 1 for males but not females. Additionally, a significant increase in RA outpatient visits (p < 0.05) was observed on post-event day 1 among individuals aged 61 and above. Environmental factors such as temperature and SO2 showed strong significance across all genders and age groups (p < 0.001). The findings highlight distinct gender and age disparities regarding the impacts of DS on RA outpatient visits, emphasizing the heightened sensitivity of males to environmental pollutants and the vulnerability of the elderly population. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition))
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13 pages, 1809 KiB  
Article
Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Schizophrenia Hospitalization: A Case-Crossover Study in Jingmen, China
by Yuwei Zhou, Jixing Yang, Jingjing Zhang, Yixiang Wang, Jiajun Shen, Yalin Zhang, Yuxi Tan, Yunquan Zhang and Chengyang Hu
Atmosphere 2024, 15(7), 771; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos15070771 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1237
Abstract
The impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on the morbidity of schizophrenia, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, remains inadequately explored. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of [...] Read more.
The impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on the morbidity of schizophrenia, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, remains inadequately explored. The objective of this research was to investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of schizophrenia hospitalization in Jingmen, China. We performed a time-stratified case-crossover study using daily records of hospital admissions due to schizophrenia in Jingmen Mental Health Center from 2015 to 2017. Environmental exposures to air pollutants and meteorological conditions on case and control days were estimated on the basis of measurements from ground monitoring stations. To investigate the relationship between short-term exposure to ambient air pollutants and the risk of hospitalization for schizophrenia, a conditional logistic regression model was employed. We performed subgroup analyses stratified according to sex, age groups, and season. In total, 4079 schizophrenia hospitalizations were recorded during the designated period. Increased risk of schizophrenia was merely associated with short-term exposure to SO2 and NO2. The estimated odds per interquartile range (IQR) increase in exposure was 1.112 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.033, 1.196) for SO2 (IQR = 12 µg/m3) and 1.112 (95% CI: 1.033, 1.197) for NO2 (IQR = 18 µg/m3) on lag-0 day. Greater air pollution-schizophrenia associations were observed among middle-aged and older adults (over 45 years of age) and during the cold season. This study added case-crossover evidence indicating that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution, specifically SO2 and NO2, is linked to a higher risk of hospital admissions for schizophrenia. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the detrimental effects of air pollution on neuropsychiatric health conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition))
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13 pages, 499 KiB  
Brief Report
Health and Economic Benefits of Accelerating the PM10 Interim Targets in Brazil’s New Air Quality Resolution: A Case Study in Southern Brazil
by Luiz Henrique Alves Laucas e Myrrha, Yasmin Fawzia Cardoso Loukili, Gustavo de Oliveira Silveira, Ronan Adler Tavella, Alicia da Silva Bonifácio, Rodrigo de Lima Brum, Natália Pereira and Flavio Manoel Rodrigues da Silva Júnior
Atmosphere 2025, 16(3), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16030270 - 25 Feb 2025
Viewed by 549
Abstract
Air pollution, particularly from coarse particulate matter (PM10), is a major public health concern, significantly contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially among vulnerable populations. In 2024, Brazil introduced a new air quality resolution (CONAMA Resolution No. 506/2024), aligning its ultimate [...] Read more.
Air pollution, particularly from coarse particulate matter (PM10), is a major public health concern, significantly contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially among vulnerable populations. In 2024, Brazil introduced a new air quality resolution (CONAMA Resolution No. 506/2024), aligning its ultimate goal with the World Health Organization’s 2021 guidelines while establishing specific timelines for the interim targets. However, these interim targets, set for 2025, 2033, and 2044, along with the absence of a deadline for the final target of 15 µg/m3, raise concerns about their adequacy in addressing the urgent health impacts of air pollution. This study evaluates the economic and public health benefits of accelerating these targets in the city of Rio Grande, a region characterized by an industrial and port-driven economy and an aging population particularly vulnerable to air pollution. Using health impact assessments, economic cost analyses, and mortality estimates, we modeled three scenarios with PM10 concentration limits of 30 µg/m3, 20 µg/m3, and 15 µg/m3, corresponding to the resolution’s 2033 and 2044 goals and the undated final target. Our findings indicate that achieving the 15 µg/m3 target by 2025 could prevent 2568 respiratory hospitalizations, 1551 cardiac hospitalizations, and 1128 air pollution-related deaths in Rio Grande, resulting in approximately BRL 7.3 million in healthcare savings. When extrapolated to cities with similar pollution profiles across Brazil, these results suggest substantial potential for reducing the health burdens and economic costs nationwide. This study underscores the urgent need to establish more ambitious timelines in Brazil’s air quality policies to maximize public health benefits and mitigate the economic impacts of air pollution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health (3rd Edition))
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