Outdoor Air Pollution and Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Outdoor air pollution is emerging as one of the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide in the 21^st century. In 2017, it was the fifth highest mortality risk factor globally, and was responsible for nearly 5 million deaths and 147 million healthy life-years lost. Rapid population and economic growth are accompanied with intense but poorly regulated human activities. Anthropogenic emissions from fossil-fuel combustion, agriculture burning, industrial activities, vehicular traffic, household cooking and heating activities, etc., mixing with natural emissions, form a multifaceted environment. Many pollutants such as gaseous (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 well known as a driver of respiratory diseases, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, as well as communicable diseases like pneumonia. Recent epidemiological studies have suggested that air pollution is also linked with diabetes, low birth weight, tuberculosis, mental health, and cognitive impacts such as autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia. A better understanding of the levels and sources of air pollutants and 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

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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.