Effects of Air Pollutants on Cardiorespiratory Health

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution has become a public health issue that jeopardizes people's health worldwide, and it is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. Air pollutants mainly include respirable particulate matter (PM), along with carbon monoxide, ground-level ozone, fine- and ultra-fine particulate matters, diesel/biodiesel particles, metal particles (lead, palladium, etc.), nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. As a gateway to exposure to air pollutants, the respiratory system is one of the most important organs where they exert their toxicity. Substantial epidemiological and toxicological evidence suggested that exposure to air pollutants can cause airway inflammation and pulmonary ventilatory dysfunction. Air pollution is a common risk factor for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, asthma and lung cancer. Some pollutants can also cross the air–blood barrier into the circulatory system, such as the cardiovascular system, and cause air pollution-associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Several epidemiological studies show an association between exposure to air pollutants and various cardiorespiratory damage. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms leading to the onset of acute and chronic cardiorespiratory injury remain largely unclear.

Therefore, this Special Issue of Toxics will cover the most recent research on air pollution-related cardiorespiratory health, namely pertaining to the following:

• The toxicity of air pollutants to the cardiorespiratory system.
• Technologies for individual air pollutant exposure assessments.
• Outdoor and indoor air quality monitoring, with a particular focus on LMICs.
• Air pollutant exposure and cardiorespiratory disease risk assessment
• In vitro models to simulate acute or chronic persistent exposure to air pollutants.
• Molecular mechanisms of air pollutant-related cardiorespiratory injury: in vitro and in vivo population studies.

Prof. Dr. Weihong Chen
Prof. Dr. Shaowei Wu
Prof. Dr. Yun Zhou
Guest Editors

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