Aerosol Particles: From Sources to Health Impacts

Dear Colleagues,

Aerosol particles play a prominent role in several major societal challenges, such as developing sustainable cities, producing clean energy, and reducing climate impact. The mass concentration of atmospheric aerosol particles (PMs) has been systematically used in epidemiological studies as an indicator of exposure to air pollutants, connecting PM concentrations with a wide variety of human health effects. The smallest-size fraction of PMs, ultrafine particles, can penetrate deep into the lungs, crossing from the alveoli into the blood stream, where they can circulate around the human body. The effects of particles on human health are difficult to explain using only a single parameter because aerosol particles are composed of a complex mixture of chemicals. Modeling techniques, such as computational fluid dynamics, chemistry transport models, and machine learning systems, can be used to quantify their spatiotemporal trends and to assess the potential for adverse outcomes. For the effective management and reduction of particle pollution, further measurement and modeling studies are needed that characterize the emissions—especially from unregulated combustion sources—and processes that control the fate and evolution of particle size distributions in the atmosphere.

Following the positive contributions of the first volume of this collection (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxics/special_issues/92ZFN4I88Q), we are delighted to launch this second edition. We solicit manuscripts that address the sources of emission, atmospheric transformation, and dispersion of aerosol particles. Exposure assessments, aerosol chemistry and toxicology, and environmental studies are all welcome. Both research articles and reviews on methodological aspects and specific applications are welcome. Atmospheric studies on primary and secondary organic aerosols, particle-bound toxins such as transition metals, and their related oxidative potentials are of specific interest due to their importance for understanding the health impacts of particles.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Matthias Karl
Dr. Fujie Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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