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Toxics
Special Issues
Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure
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Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 2679

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xinlei Ge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Science, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, China
Interests: aerosols; source apportionment; chemical reactions; mass spectrometry; black carbon; toxicity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ming Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, China
Interests: volatile organic monitoring; atmospheric chemistry; ozone; observation-based models

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Scope and Focus

This Special Issue aims to compile research that enhances our understanding of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere, emphasizing their concentrations, distributions, sources, and human health impacts. Key areas of interest include the following:

  1. Source identification: Investigations into both anthropogenic and biogenic sources of VOC emissions, facilitating the determination of primary contributors to atmospheric VOC levels.
  2. Exposure assessment: Evaluations of human exposure to VOCs through different pathways, such as inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, considering various populations and settings.
  3. Health risk evaluation: Quantitative and qualitative assessments of health risks associated with VOC exposure, encompassing both carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic effects.
  4. Environmental impact: Studies on the role of VOCs in atmospheric processes, including their contribution to ozone formation and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) production.

Positioning Within Existing Literature

While substantial research has been conducted on VOC emissions and their impacts, this Special Issue seeks to bridge gaps by focusing on interdisciplinary studies that connect environmental measurements with health risk assessments. By compiling articles that offer novel insights into VOC concentrations and exposure risks, this Special Issue aims to advance current understanding and inform future research directions and policymaking.

We encourage submissions that present original research, reviews, or case studies related to the outlined themes, with the goal of fostering a comprehensive discourse on atmospheric VOCs and their environmental exposure.

Prof. Dr. Xinlei Ge
Dr. Ming 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 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. Toxics 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 2600 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

  • VOCs
  • health risk assessment
  • exposure assessment
  • source identification
  • environmental impact

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

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 18652 KiB  
Article
Ozone Pollution in the Western Yangtze River Delta During the 2020 and 2021 Warm Seasons: Roles of Meteorology and Air Mass Transport
by Yuchen Wang, Ming Wang, Feng Ding, Xueqi Chen and Liangyu Zhang
Toxics 2025, 13(8), 670; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080670 - 9 Aug 2025
Viewed by 237
Abstract
Surface ozone (O3), a key hurdle in air quality improvement in China, often displays regional pollution characteristics. This study investigated the influence of meteorological conditions and air mass transport on O3 and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) concentrations in Nanjing, located in [...] Read more.
Surface ozone (O3), a key hurdle in air quality improvement in China, often displays regional pollution characteristics. This study investigated the influence of meteorological conditions and air mass transport on O3 and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) concentrations in Nanjing, located in the western Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region of China during April–September of 2020 and 2021 based on online observations of O3 and its precursors and meteorological conditions, backward-trajectory analysis, and an observation-based box model (OBM). O3 concentrations rose with temperature, albeit non-linearly. Southeastern trajectories constituted the most dominant air mass transport pathway (29.3%) and were associated with the highest O3 concentrations. The concentration-weighted trajectory analyses of O3 and NMHCs during four O3 pollution episodes suggested that urban/industrial areas in central and eastern YRD were potential source regions. The OBM results indicated that while O3 sensitivity was dominated by the NMHCs-limited regime, the relative contributions of three O3 sensitivity regimes varied across air mass trajectory clusters. The southeastern air masses with long-range transport showed the highest frequency of the transition and NOx-limited O3 sensitivity regimes. These findings underscore the crucial role of regional air mass transport not only in determining O3 and NMHCs concentrations but also in shaping O3 formation sensitivity, highlighting the necessity of implementing regionally coordinated control strategies for effective O3 and NMHCs pollution mitigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure)
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19 pages, 4690 KiB  
Article
Immune-Redox Biomarker Responses to Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Naturally Emitted Compounds from Korean Red Pine (Pinus densiflora) and Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa): In Vivo Study
by Hui Ma, Jiyoon Yang, Chang-Deuk Eom, Johny Bajgai, Md. Habibur Rahman, Thu Thao Pham, Haiyang Zhang, Won-Joung Hwang, Seong Hoon Goh, Bomi Kim, Cheol-Su Kim, Keon-Ho Kim and Kyu-Jae Lee
Toxics 2025, 13(8), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080650 - 31 Jul 2025
Viewed by 476
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are highly volatile chemicals in natural and anthropogenic environments, significantly affecting indoor air quality. Major sources of indoor VOCs include emissions from building materials, furnishings, and consumer products. Natural wood products release VOCs, including terpenes and aldehydes, which exert [...] Read more.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are highly volatile chemicals in natural and anthropogenic environments, significantly affecting indoor air quality. Major sources of indoor VOCs include emissions from building materials, furnishings, and consumer products. Natural wood products release VOCs, including terpenes and aldehydes, which exert diverse health effects ranging from mild respiratory irritation to severe outcomes, such as formaldehyde-induced carcinogenicity. The temporal dynamics of VOC emissions were investigated, and the toxicological and physiological effects of the VOCs emitted by two types of natural wood, Korean Red Pine (Pinus densiflora) and Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), were evaluated. Using female C57BL/6 mice as an animal model, the exposure setups included phytoncides, formaldehyde, and intact wood samples over short- and long-term durations. The exposure effects were assessed using oxidative stress markers, antioxidant enzyme activity, hepatic and renal biomarkers, and inflammatory cytokine profiles. Long-term exposure to Korean Red Pine and Japanese Cypress wood VOCs did not induce significant pathological changes. Japanese Cypress exhibited more distinct benefits, including enhanced oxidative stress mitigation, reduced systemic toxicity, and lower pro-inflammatory cytokine levels compared to the negative control group, attributable to its more favorable VOC emission profile. These findings highlight the potential health and environmental benefits of natural wood VOCs and offer valuable insights for optimizing timber use, improving indoor air quality, and informing public health policies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure)
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14 pages, 6012 KiB  
Article
Decoding the Primacy of Transportation Emissions of Formaldehyde Pollution in an Urban Atmosphere
by Shi-Qi Liu, Hao-Nan Ma, Meng-Xue Tang, Yu-Ming Shao, Ting-Ting Yao, Ling-Yan He and Xiao-Feng Huang
Toxics 2025, 13(8), 643; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13080643 - 30 Jul 2025
Viewed by 381
Abstract
Understanding the differential impacts of emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on formaldehyde (HCHO) levels is pivotal to effectively mitigating key photochemical radical precursors, thereby enhancing the regulation of atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) and ozone formation. This investigation systematically selected and analyzed [...] Read more.
Understanding the differential impacts of emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on formaldehyde (HCHO) levels is pivotal to effectively mitigating key photochemical radical precursors, thereby enhancing the regulation of atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) and ozone formation. This investigation systematically selected and analyzed year-long VOC measurements across three urban zones in Shenzhen, China. Photochemical age correction methods were implemented to develop the initial concentrations of VOCs before source apportionment; then Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) modeling resolved six primary sources: solvent usage (28.6–47.9%), vehicle exhaust (24.2–31.2%), biogenic emission (13.8–18.1%), natural gas (8.5–16.3%), gasoline evaporation (3.2–8.9%), and biomass burning (0.3–2.4%). A machine learning (ML) framework incorporating Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) was subsequently applied to evaluate the influence of six emission sources on HCHO concentrations while accounting for reaction time adjustments. This machine learning-driven nonlinear analysis demonstrated that vehicle exhaust nearly always emerged as the primary anthropogenic contributor in diverse functional zones and different seasons, with gasoline evaporation as another key contributor, while the traditional reactivity metric method, ozone formation potential (OFP), tended to underestimate the role of the two sources. This study highlights the primacy of strengthening emission reduction of transportation sectors to mitigate HCHO pollution in megacities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure)
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22 pages, 7364 KiB  
Article
Characterization and Source Apportionment Analysis of PM2.5 and Ozone Pollution over Fenwei Plain, China: Insights from PM2.5 Component and VOC Observations
by Litian Xu, Bo Wang, Ying Wang, Huipeng Zhang, Danni Xu, Yibing Zhao and Kaihui Zhao
Toxics 2025, 13(2), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13020123 - 6 Feb 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1129
Abstract
PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been identified as the primary air pollutants affecting the Fenwei Plain (FWP), necessitating urgent measures to improve its air quality. To gain a deeper understanding of the formation mechanisms of these pollutants, this study employed [...] Read more.
PM2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been identified as the primary air pollutants affecting the Fenwei Plain (FWP), necessitating urgent measures to improve its air quality. To gain a deeper understanding of the formation mechanisms of these pollutants, this study employed various methods such as HYSPLIT, PCT, and PMF for analysis. Our results indicate that the FWP is primarily impacted by PM2.5 from the southern Shaanxi air mass and the northwestern air mass during winter. In contrast, during summer, it is mainly influenced by O3 originating from the southern air mass. Specifically, high-pressure fronts are the dominant weather pattern affecting PM2.5 pollution in the FWP, while high-pressure backs predominately O3 pollution. Regarding the sources of PM2.5, secondary nitrates, vehicle exhausts, and secondary sulfates are major contributors. As for volatile organic compounds, liquefied petroleum gas sources, vehicle exhausts, solvent usage, and industrial emissions are the primary sources. This study holds crucial scientific significance in enhancing the regional joint prevention and control mechanism for PM2.5 and O3 pollution, and it provides scientific support for formulating effective strategies for air pollution prevention and control. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Concentration of VOCs in the Atmosphere and Its Environmental Exposure)
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