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Toxics
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Interventions, Practices, and Policies to Reduce Particulate Matter Air Pollution...
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Interventions, Practices, and Policies to Reduce Particulate Matter Air Pollution Exposure and Health Outcomes

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 2387

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Douglas Brugge

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030, USA
Interests: air pollution; cardiovascular disease; transportation; environmental epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Shir Ginzburg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
MPH Program, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Interests: CBPR; depression; diabetes; environmental justice; food equity; food insecurity; global mental health; health equity; idioms of distress; obesity; Puerto Rico; syndemics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Particulate matter air pollution, driven by industrial emissions and vehicular exhaust, remains a critical global threat to human health and ecosystems, contributing to millions of premature deaths annually. This Special Issue focuses on evidence-based interventions and practices to mitigate exposure to airborne pollutants and evaluate their health benefits, with an emphasis on toxic chemicals and their health impacts across policy and community implementations. We invite original research and reviews that address solutions to reduce pollution exposure through technological advancements, community-driven initiatives, and actionable public health strategies with quantified health outcome assessments.

This Special Issue seeks contributions spanning but not limited to the following themes:

  • Smart urban, building, and transportation design integrating air quality sensors and green infrastructure to mitigate exposure and associated disease burdens.
  • Personal/community-level strategies to reduce exposure (e.g., N95 respirators, indoor air purifiers) and their effectiveness in preventing adverse health outcomes.
  • Behavioral and educational campaigns targeting marginalized populations (e.g., children, outdoor workers, low-income communities) to improve human health in pollution-related morbidity reduction.

Please email the editors if you have an idea for a paper that is not included in the themes of the Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Douglas Brugge
Guest Editor

Dr. Shir Ginzburg
Guest Editor Assistant

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

  • exposure reduction
  • health outcomes
  • interventions
  • particulate matter
  • randomized trials

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 688 KB  
Article
Effectiveness of HEPA/Carbon Filter Air Purifier in Reducing Indoor NO2 and PM2.5 in Homes with Gas Stove Use in Lowell, Massachusetts
by Khafayat Kadiri, David Turcotte, Rebecca Gore, Anila Bello, Serena Rajabiun, Karyn Heavner and Susan R. Woskie
Toxics 2025, 13(12), 1030; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13121030 - 28 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1531
Abstract
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) impact health outcomes. This study utilized a pre- to post-test study design to evaluate the impact of air purifiers fitted with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and carbon filters [...] Read more.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) impact health outcomes. This study utilized a pre- to post-test study design to evaluate the impact of air purifiers fitted with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) and carbon filters in reducing indoor NO2 and PM2.5. Sixty-seven low-income homes in Lowell, Massachusetts, were included in this study. Home visits were conducted every four months for 12 months. At each visit, we conducted environmental sampling, measuring indoor NO2, PM2.5, stove use, temperature, and humidity over 5–7 days. We collected environmental exposure data using questionnaires. Air purifiers were introduced after the 4th month. Linear mixed models were used to predict changes in NO2 and PM2.5, with independent predictors as fixed effects and homes as random effects. The geometric mean (GM) for NO2 decreased by 36% from 20.16 to 12.79 ppb (p < 0.001). GM for PM2.5 decreased by 45% from 17.12 to 9.16 µg/m3 (p < 0.001). We found that an increase in air purifier use resulted in a significant decrease in NO2 and PM2.5, and an increase in stove usage increased NO2. HEPA/carbon filters have the potential to improve indoor air quality by reducing NO2 and PM2.5, enabling the tailoring of interventions to mitigate these air pollutants. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interventions, Practices, and Policies to Reduce Particulate Matter Air Pollution Exposure and Health Outcomes)
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19 pages, 4277 KB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Trends and Drivers of PM2.5 Concentrations in Shandong Province from 2014 to 2023 Under Socioeconomic Transition
by Shuaisen Qiao, Qingchun Guo, Zhenfang He, Genyue Feng, Zhaosheng Wang and Xinzhou Li
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 978; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110978 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 512
Abstract
China’s rapid economic growth since its reform and opening-up has come at the cost of worsening atmospheric pollution. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of PM2.5 concentrations in Shandong province, a key industrial region, during 2014–2023, using comprehensive air [...] Read more.
China’s rapid economic growth since its reform and opening-up has come at the cost of worsening atmospheric pollution. This study investigates the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of PM2.5 concentrations in Shandong province, a key industrial region, during 2014–2023, using comprehensive air quality monitoring, meteorological observations, and socioeconomic datasets. Through spatial analysis and geodetector methods, we identify that (1) The annual PM2.5 concentration decreases significantly by 50.9%; spatially, heterogeneity is observed with the western urban agglomeration experiencing more severe pollution, while the eastern coastal urban agglomeration exhibits better air quality. (2) Gravity model analysis shows that the centroids of PM2.5 pollution undergo distinct migration phases. (3) PM2.5 levels show a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking in winter at a level 143.7% higher than the summer average. (4) The meteorological driving factors are primarily air temperature (r = 0.511) and wind speed (r = −0.487), while the socioeconomic factors are tertiary industry production (r = −0.971), particulate matter emissions (r = 0.956), and sulfur dioxide emissions (r = 0.938). Concurrently, the combined effect of tertiary industry production and PM emissions account for 99.5% of PM2.5 variability. Notably, we validate an Environmental Kuznets Curve relationship (R2 = 0.805) between economic development and air quality improvement, demonstrating that clean production policy integration can reconcile environmental and economic objectives. These findings provide empirical evidence supporting circular economy strategies for air pollution mitigation in industrializing regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Interventions, Practices, and Policies to Reduce Particulate Matter Air Pollution Exposure and Health Outcomes)
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