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Toxics
Special Issues
Aerosol Particles: From Sources to Health Impacts
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Aerosol Particles: From Sources to Health Impacts

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Air Pollution and Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 May 2026) | Viewed by 1261

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Matthias Karl

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Guest Editor
Department of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Helmholtz Zentrum Hereon, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany
Interests: modeling of chemistry and transport of atmospheric pollutants; urban air quality; development of emission control scenarios; transformation of particles in the atmosphere via aerosol dynamics and chemical processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Fujie Zhu

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Guest Editor
School of Environment, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou 310024, China
Interests: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); semi-volatile organic compounds; atmospheric behavior modeling; environmental fate prediction; air pollution control; health risk assessment

Special Issue Information

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

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. 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

  • atmospheric aerosols
  • aerosol toxicity
  • haze pollution
  • ultrafine particles
  • aerosol chemistry
  • source apportionment
  • dispersion modeling
  • exposure assessment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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16 pages, 1712 KB  
Article
Intermediate- and Long-Term Exposure to PM2.5 and Its Chemical Components in Relation to Nocturnal Sleep Duration and Daytime Napping Duration
by Lidan Hu, Xiuhua Yan, Xinhui Qiu and Zhiyuan Li
Toxics 2026, 14(5), 437; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14050437 - 14 May 2026
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Abstract
While the association between criteria air pollutants and sleep duration is well-documented, evidence on the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) chemical components on sleep remains limited. This study investigated the effects of intermediate- (6-month) and long-term (2-year) exposure to PM [...] Read more.
While the association between criteria air pollutants and sleep duration is well-documented, evidence on the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) chemical components on sleep remains limited. This study investigated the effects of intermediate- (6-month) and long-term (2-year) exposure to PM2.5 and its five major components—black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), sulfate (SO42−), nitrate (NO3−), and ammonium (NH4+)—on nocturnal sleep and daytime napping duration. We included 19,505 participants aged ≥ 45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011–2018). Residential PM2.5 and component concentrations were estimated via the Tracking Air Pollution in China dataset, and sleep data were collected through self-reported questionnaires. Linear mixed-effects models and quantile-based g-computation (qgcomp) were used to assess single- and multi-pollutant effects. Results showed that both intermediate- and long-term exposure to PM2.5 components was associated with shorter nocturnal sleep and longer daytime napping. Subgroup analyses revealed greater susceptibility among rural residents, solid fuel users, and individuals without pensions. These findings emphasize the need for component-specific PM2.5 control strategies and targeted public health interventions to reduce sleep-related health inequalities, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Particles: From Sources to Health Impacts)
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10 pages, 957 KB  
Brief Report
PM2.5 and Asthma Disparity in Relation to Social Vulnerability Index: A Case Study from Durham, North Carolina
by Macie D. Bethea, Sterling Brown, Sara Harrison, John Bang, James Harrington and Vijay Sivaraman
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030221 - 4 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Increased air pollution and associated disease prognosis are a serious concern in communities across the socioeconomic spectrum. Past studies have shown that a major component of air pollution, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is elevated in majority-Black communities in the US to [...] Read more.
Increased air pollution and associated disease prognosis are a serious concern in communities across the socioeconomic spectrum. Past studies have shown that a major component of air pollution, fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is elevated in majority-Black communities in the US to greater levels than those in majority-White communities, which can potentially contribute to higher rates of respiratory health issues. In this study, we address whether PM2.5 correlates with increased asthma rates in Durham, North Carolina. We selected monitoring sites in different census tracts within the same zip code with disparate levels of asthma to quantify and characterize PM2.5 levels. We found that South Durham, which has higher asthma hospitalization rates, has higher average PM2.5 levels (78.49 µg/m3) than North Durham (26.3 µg/m3). We measured the elemental composition of PM samples using transmission electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (TEM-EDX) and found significant differences in the levels of Na, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Ti. Our data suggests that these differences in ambient PM2.5 could contribute to differences in health outcomes in the two areas. We also discuss these differences in the context of social vulnerability within the two study sites and show that the more vulnerable site (South Durham) experiences higher pollution rates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aerosol Particles: From Sources to Health Impacts)
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