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Atmosphere
Special Issues
Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control
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Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 4872

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Dana-Adriana ILUŢIU-VARVARA

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Building Services Engineering, Department Building Services Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: environmental engineering; sustainable development; environmental quality; indoor air quality (IAQ); outdoor air quality (OAQ); quality of industrial microclimate; industrial wastes; industrial pollution of environmental factors; circular economy; life cycle analysis; waste recycling; hazardous wastes; applied chemistry; sustainable buildings; materials for building services engineering; materials for sustainable buildings; materials science and engineering; new materials with special properties; advanced materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Longyi Shao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Interests: atmospheric environment; environmental geochemistry; mineralogy; geo-health; coal geology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tintelecan Marius

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: hot rolling; wiredrawing; heating installations; wire drawing; plastic deformation
Dr. Ioana-Monica Sas-Boca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: mechanical testing; mechanical properties; plastic deformation processes; material characterization; microstructures; multi-layer materials; computer-aided design; computer-aided manufacturing; modeling and simulation; air pollution; environmental protection; recycling process
Dr. Wenhua Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China
2. School of Resources and Materials, Northeastern University at Qinhuangdao, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
Interests: air pollution control engineering; aerosol source apportionment; physicochemical characteristics of aerosol particles; morphology and optical characteristics of flue dust particles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The continuous degradation of air quality is a current issue. Air pollution contributes to the decrease in the quality of life of the population and the environment. The identification of pollution sources and the control of air pollution contribute to the following:

  • minimization of negative impacts on natural and industrialized areas;
  • improvements in human health;
  • improvements in air quality.

This Special Issue aims to present a collection of original research articles and review papers describing the assessment of outdoor and indoor air quality; methods and solutions for the prevention, minimization and control of air pollution; assessment of industrial air pollution and its control; improvements in the management of air quality; impacts of air pollution on human health and the environment. Topics of particular interest to this Special Issue include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Air pollution;
  • Air pollutants;
  • Sources of air pollutants and their health effects;
  • Air quality monitoring;
  • Air pollution control;
  • Air pollution prevention;
  • The impact of air pollution;
  • Changing air environmental factors;
  • The dispersion of air pollutants;
  • Industrial pollution of air environmental factors;
  • Methods for minimizing air pollution;
  • Emissions and immissions;
  • Outdoor and indoor air quality;
  • Outdoor and indoor air pollution;
  • Sustainable development.

Dr. Dana-Adriana ILUŢIU-VARVARA
Prof. Dr. Longyi Shao
Dr. Tintelecan Marius
Dr. Ioana-Monica Sas-Boca
Dr. Wenhua Wang
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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
  • outdoor and indoor air pollution
  • air pollution sources
  • control of air quality
  • impact on human health

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3215 KB  
Article
Warsaw (Poland) Air Quality in a Period of Energy Transition
by Piotr Holnicki, Zbigniew Nahorski, Andrzej Kałuszko and Joanna Horabik-Pyzel
Atmosphere 2025, 16(12), 1359; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16121359 - 29 Nov 2025
Viewed by 315
Abstract
For many years, Warsaw has been one of the European cities with the worst air quality, mainly due to harmful pollutants emitted by the residential sector and street traffic. This has led to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx [...] Read more.
For many years, Warsaw has been one of the European cities with the worst air quality, mainly due to harmful pollutants emitted by the residential sector and street traffic. This has led to high concentrations of particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and also benzo alpha pyrene (BaP), often exceeding WHO standards. However, since 2010, there have been significant changes in the Polish energy mix, with a trend towards a decrease in the share of coal, with a simultaneous increase in the share of renewable energy sources and natural gas. The article presents the related effects of the relevant central government’s policy during the last decade, further supported by the pro-environment decisions of the Warsaw authorities. We also present trends in the concentration of harmful pollutants over the 2012–2023 decade as recorded by the air quality monitoring system. Complete pollution records for 2023 come from two air quality monitoring systems recently operating in the city (GIOŚ official stationary and AIRLY IoT sensor systems). Since the sensors of these systems are located at different sites, the average annual records of both systems were compared indirectly, using the computer simulation results of key pollutant propagation in 2023. Based on the tests conducted, the hypothesis of equality of the annual means for the results from both the monitoring systems and the modeling is not rejected, despite a seemingly clear underestimation of the IoT sensors’ recordings versus the official ones. The reasons for these differences are investigated through a direct comparison and analysis of the average monthly recordings from the monitoring systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control)
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16 pages, 3703 KB  
Article
Furnace Air Filter Replacement Practices and Implications for Indoor Air Quality: A Pilot Study
by Daniel L. Mendoza, Lauren Piper Christian, Erik T. Crosman and Adrienne Cachelin
Atmosphere 2025, 16(11), 1291; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16111291 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 419
Abstract
Utah typically experiences 18 days with high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards per year. In August of 2022, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall convened an Indoor Air Quality Summit, during which experts in [...] Read more.
Utah typically experiences 18 days with high fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels exceeding the National Ambient Air Quality Standards per year. In August of 2022, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall convened an Indoor Air Quality Summit, during which experts in healthcare, industrial hygiene, and atmospheric science, among others, expressed the need to prioritize indoor air quality interventions more within the state. We conducted a furnace filter exchange pilot project that involved 11 families in Salt Lake City’s Westside. These families completed a survey regarding air quality-related concerns while researchers took air quality measurements—both inside and outside the residence. The goals of this pilot study were to gather data about the participants’ indoor and outdoor air quality perceptions, how frequently they changed their home air filters, and any barriers they experienced. In addition, this study developed a proof of concept demonstrating collecting preliminary indoor and outdoor air quality data and furnace filter deposition information alongside the survey. The survey results were limited by a small sample size (11 participants); however, among those sampled we found that residents are acutely concerned about outdoor air quality but are less worried about indoor air quality. We measured substantially lower indoor PM2.5 levels compared to ambient air and found a wide range of filter replacement times from those less than a month to over two years. Our research team learned not only about indoor air quality conditions and resident perceptions, but also about the needs of community members including access to filters, health education, and the need to allow more time to build trust between researchers and residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control)
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20 pages, 3517 KB  
Article
Mercury Pollution in a Coastal City of Northern China Driven by Temperature Re-Emission, Coal Combustion, and Port Activities
by Ruihe Lyu, Liyuan Xue, Xuefang Wu, Ye Mu, Jie Cheng, Liqiu Zhou, Yuhan Wang and Roy M. Harrison
Atmosphere 2025, 16(10), 1121; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16101121 - 24 Sep 2025
Viewed by 510
Abstract
This study investigates the dynamics and sources of atmospheric mercury in Qinhuangdao (QHD), a coastal urban area significantly impacted by both marine and terrestrial sources. Sampling of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), fine particle-bound mercury (PBM2.5), and coarse particle-bound mercury (PBM2.5–10 [...] Read more.
This study investigates the dynamics and sources of atmospheric mercury in Qinhuangdao (QHD), a coastal urban area significantly impacted by both marine and terrestrial sources. Sampling of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), fine particle-bound mercury (PBM2.5), and coarse particle-bound mercury (PBM2.5–10) was conducted from September 2022 to August 2023. The annual mean concentrations of GEM, PBM2.5, and PBM2.5–10 were 2.66, 1.01, and 0.73 ng m−3, respectively, with PBM levels among the highest reported for coastal cities in eastern China. GEM displayed a pronounced midday peak (12:00–14:00) with correlations to temperature (R2 = 0.25–0.65) and a significant winter association with SO2 (R2 = 0.52), suggesting the combined influence of surface re-emission and coal combustion. Seasonal variations in the GEM/CO ratio (spring: 7.12; winter: 2.62) further reflected the shift between natural and combustion-related sources. PBM2.5 exhibited elevated concentrations (1.0–1.4 ng m−3) under westerly winds (~3 m s−1), indicating inputs from traffic, shipping, and light industries, while PBM2.5–10 (0.5–1.1 μg m−3) was strongly linked to coal-handling activities at QHD port and soil resuspension. Backward trajectory analysis showed continental air masses dominated in winter (53–100%) and maritime air masses in summer (30–50%), whereas high Hg/Na ratios in PM2.5 (3.22 × 10−4) and PM2.5–10 (2.17 × 10−4), far exceeding typical marine aerosol values (10−7–10−5), indicated negligible marine contributions to PBM. These findings provide new insights into the processes driving mercury pollution in coastal urban environments and highlight the critical role of port-related activities in regional mercury management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control)
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32 pages, 3694 KB  
Article
Decoding Urban Traffic Pollution: Insights on Trends, Patterns, and Meteorological Influences for Policy Action in Bucharest, Romania
by Cristiana Tudor, Alexandra Horobet, Robert Sova, Lucian Belascu and Alma Pentescu
Atmosphere 2025, 16(8), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16080916 - 29 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1951
Abstract
Traffic-related pollutants remain a challenging global issue, with significant policy implications. Within the European Union, Romania has the highest yearly societal cost per capita due to air pollution, which kills 29,000 Romanians every year, whereas the health and economic costs are also significant. [...] Read more.
Traffic-related pollutants remain a challenging global issue, with significant policy implications. Within the European Union, Romania has the highest yearly societal cost per capita due to air pollution, which kills 29,000 Romanians every year, whereas the health and economic costs are also significant. In this context, municipal authorities in the country, particularly in high-density areas, should place a strong focus on mitigating air pollution. In particular, the capital city, Bucharest, ranks among the most congested cities in the world while registering the highest pollution index in Romania, with traffic pollution responsible for two-thirds of its air pollution. Consequently, studies that assess and model pollution trends are paramount to inform local policy-making processes and assist pollution-mitigation efforts. In this paper, a generalized additive modeling (GAM) framework is employed to model hourly concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), i.e., a relevant traffic-pollution proxy, at a busy urban traffic location in central Bucharest, Romania. All models are developed on a wide, fine-granularity dataset spanning January 2017–December 2022 and include extensive meteorological covariates. Model robustness is assured by switching between the generalized additive model (GAM) framework and the generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) framework when the residual autoregressive process needs to be specifically acknowledged. Results indicate that trend GAMs explain a large amount of the hourly variation in traffic pollution. Furthermore, meteorological factors contribute to increasing the models’ explanation power, with wind direction, relative humidity, and the interaction between wind speed and the atmospheric pressure emerging as important mitigators for NO2 concentrations in Bucharest. The results of this study can be valuable in assisting local authorities to take proactive measures for traffic pollution control in the capital city of Romania. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control)
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16 pages, 20714 KB  
Article
Physicochemical Characteristics of Individual Indoor Airborne Particles in the High Lung Cancer Rate Area in Xuanwei, China
by Ying Hu, Longyi Shao, Kelly BéruBé, Ningping Wang, Cong Hou, Jingsen Fan and Tim Jones
Atmosphere 2025, 16(2), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos16020187 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1039
Abstract
Emissions from domestic coal burning are generally recognized as the cause of the lung cancer epidemic in Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province, China. To examine the physicochemical characteristics of airborne particles emitted from burning this locally sourced coal, PM2.5 samples were collected from [...] Read more.
Emissions from domestic coal burning are generally recognized as the cause of the lung cancer epidemic in Xuanwei City, Yunnan Province, China. To examine the physicochemical characteristics of airborne particles emitted from burning this locally sourced coal, PM2.5 samples were collected from Hutou village which has high levels of lung cancer, and Xize village located approximately 30 km from Hutou without lung cancer cases. Transmission Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray (TEM-EDX) analysis was employed to study the physiochemical features and chemistry of individual particles. Sulfur and silica are the most abundant elements found in the airborne particles in both of the two villages. Fewer elements in aerosol particles were found in Xize village compared with Hutou village. Based on the morphologies and chemical compositions, the particles in Xuanwei can be classified into five types including composite particles (38.6%); organic, soot, tar balls, and biologicals (28.3%); sulfate (14.1%); fly ash (9.8%); and minerals (9.2%). The particles in Hutou village are abundant in the size range of 0.4–0.8 μm while that in Xize is 0.7–0.8 μm. Composite particles are the most common types in all the size ranges. The percentage of composite particles shows two peaks in the small size range (0.1–0.2 μm) and the large size ranges (2–2.3 μm) in Hutou village while that shows an even distribution in all size ranges in Xize village. Core-shell particles are typical types of composite particles, with the solid ‘core’ consisting of materials such as fly ash or mineral grains, and the shell or surface layer being an adhering soluble compound such as sulfates or organics. The heterogeneous reactions of particles with acidic liquid layers produce the core-shell structures. Typically, the equivalent diameter of the core-shell particles is in the range of 0.5–2.5 μm, averaging 1.6 μm, and the core-shell ratio is usually between 0.4 and 0.8, with an average of 0.6. Regardless of the sizes of the particles, the relatively high core-shell ratios imply a less aging state, which suggests that the core-shell particles were relatively recently formed. Once the coal-burning particles are inhaled into the human deep lung, they can cause damage to lung cells and harm to human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sources Influencing Air Pollution and Their Control)
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