Elemental Composition, Sources and Health Impacts of Aerosols in Large Urban Areas

Dear Colleagues,

Large urban areas are often subject to elevated levels of air pollution impacting on the people living and working there. Particulate matter (PM), either directly emitted from combustion and other processes, or indirectly formed by chemical reactions during transport in the atmosphere, contributes substantially to harmful pollutants with negative health effects. In recent years, with the widespread availability of appropriate analysis techniques, the chemical composition of PM has come into focus when studying health and other environmental impacts, allowing for a more detailed analysis of PM sources and mechanisms linking PM composition to various diseases. In this respect, trace elements (e.g., metals, PAH and derivatives, emerging organic pollutants and endotoxins) and their toxicity are considered to be key factors. Even though trace elements often make up rather a minor fraction of the total mass of PM, their impact on the environment and human health is important, and further investigation is required.

This Special Issue shall provide a platform for the publication of recent original research articles or review articles on:

• traditional and newly developed instrumentation and analysis methods for elements in ambient aerosols, applied to large urban areas with numerous emitters;
• results of recent field studies applying such methods to quantify and characterize PM elemental composition, describing its origin, transport and transformation;
• source identification based on or incorporating elemental composition in large cities;
• studies on the impact of PM trace elements and their toxicity on human health in large urban areas; and
• future trends and lines of investigation with respect to elements/metals in PM.

Dr. Markus Furger
Dr. Gaëlle Uzu
Guest Editor

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