Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution is now the biggest environmental risk for early death, as it is responsible for more than 6 million premature deaths each year from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. That represents more deaths than those from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined (http://www.epa.gov/air/). Research suggests that long-term exposure to some pollutants increases the risk of emphysema more than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Recent studies show air pollution can affect mental health, worker productivity, and even stock market performance. To develop the best solutions, it is important to better understand this invisible threat. What we typically think of as “air pollution” is actually a mixture of small particles, including the following:

Particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5). The majority of PM in urban areas is formed directly from the burning of fossil fuels by power plants, automobiles, non-road equipment, and industrial facilities. Other sources are dust, diesel emissions, and the formation of secondary particles from gases and vapors. Coarse particulate matter (PM10, particles less than 10 microns in diameter) is known to cause nasal and upper respiratory tract health problems. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5, particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter) penetrates deeper into the lungs and causes heart attacks, strokes, asthma, and bronchitis, as well as premature death from heart ailments, lung disease, and cancer. Studies show that higher PM2.5 exposure can impair brain development in children.

Black carbon (BC). Black carbon is one of the components of particulate matter and comes from burning fuel (especially diesel, wood, and coal). Most air pollution regulations focus on PM2.5, but exposure to black carbon is a serious health threat as well. Populations with higher exposures to black carbon over a long period are at a higher risk for heart attacks and stroke. Black carbon is associated with hypertension, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, and a variety of types of cancer.

Nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2). Nitrogen oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are produced primarily by the transportation sector. NO is rapidly converted to NO2 in sunlight. NOx (a combination of NO and NO2) is formed in high concentrations around roadways and can result in development and exacerbations of asthma and bronchitis and can lead to a higher risk of heart disease.

Ozone (O3). Ozone high in the atmosphere can protect us from ultraviolet radiation. However, ozine at ground level (where it is part of what is commonly called smog) is a well-established respiratory irritant. Ozone is formed in the atmosphere through reactions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, both of which are formed as a result of combustion of fossil fuels. Short-term exposure to ozone can cause chest pain, coughing, and throat irritation, while long term exposure can lead to decreased lung function and cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In addition, ozone exposure can aggravate existing lung diseases.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2). SO2 is emitted into the air by the burning of fossil fuels that contain sulfur. Coal, metal extraction and smelting, ship engines, heavy equipment, and diesel engines burn fuels that contain sulfur. Sulfur dioxide causes eye irritation, worsens asthma, increases susceptibility to respiratory infections, and impacts the cardiovascular system. When SO2 combines with water, it forms sulfuric acid, which is the main component of acid rain, a known contributor to deforestation.

Biomonitoring of atmospheric deposition of toxic heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Hg, etc.), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), polymeric aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), radionuclides, cosmic, dust and microplastics.

In the framework of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) biomonitoring with moss is used for mapping atmospheric deposition of trace elements (https://icpvegetation.ceh.ac.uk/). Among air pollutants, heavy metals (trace elements) are of special importance. Heavy metals can be toxic to both humans and wildlife.

The most important emission sectors include

• Metals industry (Al, As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Zn);
• Manufacturing industries and construction (As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb);
• Electricity and heat production (Cd, Hg, Ni);
• Road transportation (Cu and Sb from brake wear, V, Zn, W from tires and Pb if leaded gasoline is used);
• Petroleum refining (Ni, V), and
• Phosphate fertilizers in agricultural areas (Cd).

Mosses can be used to trace deposition patterns of radionuclides in the case of radionuclide accidents, such as at the Kyshtym disaster in the South Urals (RF, USSR) in the middle of the 20th century, the 1986 Chernobyl accident (Ukraine, USSR), and the 2011 Fukushina disaster in Japan. The Earth’s surface is showered with thousands of tons of extraterrestrial comic dust particles (micrometeorites) every year. The role of cosmic dust in air pollution should be considered natural pollution, potentially hazardous to living matter. Presently, the most “fashionable” topic in air pollution studies is macroplastics. Mosses as accumulators of deposited microplastic particles serve as a good source for their identification and risk assessment of their impact on human health.

You are very welcome to contribute to this Special Issue on “Air Quality and Human Health”.

Dr. Marina Frontasyeva
Guest Editor

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.

• Air pollution with particulate matter
• Atmospheric deposition of trace elements
• Moss and lichens biomonitoring
• Toxic heavy metals
• POPs and PAHs
• Radionuclides
• Cosmic dust
• Microplastics
• Epidemiological data