Air Quality Monitoring for Regulatory and Research Purposes: Emission Sources, Characteristics, and Health Risks

Dear Colleagues,

Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a key environmental problem due to its impact on human health, air quality, ecosystems and climate. Current monitoring and legislation have focused on PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, but there is growing interest in smaller particles, including PM_1.0 and ultrafine particles (PM_0.1). Despite breakthroughs in ground monitoring, atmospheric modeling, satellite remote sensing, and data science, major knowledge gaps remain in PM characteristics, emission sources, exposure, and health impacts, especially in metropolitan regions with complex emission sources.

Growing evidence suggests that smaller particles, particularly PM_2.5 and PM_0.1, may pose greater health hazards because they can penetrate deeper into the lungs. PM exposure is connected with increased morbidity and premature death, including respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and other systemic organs. Health impacts depend not only on particle mass but also on particle size, number concentration, surface area, and chemical composition, including black carbon, organic carbon, PAHs, and trace metals. Some PM constituents, notably black carbon and organic aerosols, also influence climate through radiative and cloud-related mechanisms.

This Special Issue is intended to further the understanding of atmospheric PM with an emphasis on its spatiotemporal variability, physicochemical properties, emission sources, human exposure, health effects, and climatic interactions. We also welcome studies addressing regulatory monitoring, QA/QC protocols, measurement comparability, monitoring network performance, low‑cost sensor applications, and policy‑oriented utilization of air‑quality data for both regulatory and research purposes. We accept contributions on observations, field and laboratory investigations, epidemiology, health-risk assessment, atmospheric modeling, remote sensing, and data science.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Observations and modeling of ambient PM;
• Physical, optical, and chemical characterization of PM;
• Size-fractionated PM down to ultrafine particles (PM_0.1);
• Particle number and size distributions;
• Source identification and apportionment;
• Meteorological and emission-control effects on PM;
• Human exposure, health-risk assessment, and epidemiological impacts;
• Respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and other health outcomes;
• Disease burden, vulnerable populations, and economic impacts;
• Impacts on ecosystems and climate;
• Air pollution–health–climate interactions.

Dr. Worradorn Phairuang
Guest Editor

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