Particulate Matters in Ambient Air: Characteristics, Composition, and Sources

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution is the leading environmental health risk factor globally. Extensive evidence has documented the causal relationship between exposure to ambient air pollution, particularly particles <2.5 microns in diameter (PM_2.5), and increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Chemical composition in particulate matter from diverse sources may lead to different human health effects. The exact mechanisms by which source-generated PM affects cardiovascular are not entirely understood, while inflammatory mediators that are released under the exposures to particulate matter are thought to be central.

Several studies indicated that air pollution associated with the ambient concentration of PM_2.5 differed largely across areas worldwide. For example, the annual concentration of PM_2.5 in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in South East Asia and the West Pacific Regions far exceeded the air quality guidelines (5 µg/m³) of the World Health Organization. Primary energy use (e.g., biomass burning, residential sector, firing power plants, mobile source) is regarded to be responsible for the large emissions (e.g., carbonaceous aerosols, metals, and ions) of air pollution in LMICs. United Nations has laid out a clear Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for energy use, which includes access to affordable energy, improvement in energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable sources.

As the Guest Editor, I invite you to consider submitting your research for publication in this Special Issue of Atmosphere focused on "Particulate Matters in Ambient Air: Characteristics, Composition and Sources". This Special Issue aims to provide a selection of studies in the form of reviews and original papers related to pollution characteristics and composition of ambient particulate matters. The studies on the mitigation of ambient particulate matters in the context of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for energy use are especially welcome. Potential authors are welcome to contact the Guest Editor with questions regarding their proposed topics for this Special Issue.

Dr. Qingyang Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 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.

• PM2.5
• PM10
• metals
• carbonaceous aerosols
• water soluble ions
• molecular markers
• receptor model
• health effects
• primary sources
• secondary sources