International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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Special Issue Editors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Air pollution is a complex mixture that encompasses numerous chemical components from multiple sources, many of which are important contributors to toxicity. The identification and quantification of the influences of source-related air pollution on its associated health impacts are two of the most challenging areas of environmental health research, with many unknown aspects. In order to make progress in reducing the substantial impacts of air pollution on human health, the sources and components that have the most significant effects must urgently be identified.

This Special Issue seeks papers including but not limited to research on special periods, such as COVID lockdowns, important festivals, and cleaning renovations. We welcome research that discusses sources including, but not limited to, fossil fuel combustion (such as vehicles and power plants), industrial processes, construction work, quarrying and mining activities, biomass burning, and cooking activities. Studies that relate to both outdoor and indoor environments are welcome.

We hope our Special Issue can provide new insights into the impact of source changes on air quality and its health effects under different scenarios. This knowledge, in turn, can create an evidence-based regulatory framework that could help towards reducing the specific drivers of health effects.

Prof. Dr. Wei Du
Dr. Yiming Qin
Dr. Yali Lei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

household air pollution
ambient air pollution
organic pollutants
gaseous pollutants
emission sources
case study of source changes
air quality
health effects

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 746 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Digital Transformation on Corporate Environment Performance: Evidence from China

by Lei Wang, Shibo Liu and Wanfang Xiong

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(19), 12846; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912846 - 7 Oct 2022

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 4440

Abstract

In recent years, the rate of climate change appears to have accelerated, and digital transformation and environmental performance have become increasingly important in the field of corporate social responsibility. Previous studies have mainly focused on the economic consequences of digital transformation. However, research on the effect of digital transformation on reducing firms’ emissions is relatively rare. This study focused on two kinds of typical environmental pollutants: waste gas emissions and wastewater emissions. Using data on Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2018 and adopting the fixed effect model to investigate the emission reduction effect and mechanism of digital transformation on waste gas emissions and wastewater emissions of firms, we found the following: (1) digital transformation significantly reduces pollution emissions; (2) the relationship is more pronounced in state-owned enterprises (SOEs), high-polluting enterprises, and economically developed regions; (3) to gain a more in-depth understanding of how digital transformation affects the pollution emission behavior of firms, we further conducted mechanism tests and found that digital transformation reduces pollution by increasing total factor productivity and green innovation and improving firms’ internal controls. The above conclusions still hold after a series of robustness tests, including alternative econometric specifications and overcoming potential endogeneity with an instrumental variable. Overall, our findings provide new insights into the effect of digital transformation on environmental pollution emissions. Hence, all governments should pay more attention to digital transformation for sustainable development and improved environmental quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Response of Air Pollution and Its Health Effects to the Rapid Change of Emission Sources)

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Review

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9 pages, 778 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Chinese Spring Festival Impact on Air Quality in China: A Critical Review

by Guixian Wu, Wenling Tian, Li Zhang and Haiyan Yang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(15), 9074; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19159074 - 26 Jul 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2353

Abstract

It is known that the sharp change of air pollutants affects air quality. Chinese Spring Festival is the most important holiday for Chinese people, and the celebration of the holiday with fireworks and the movement of people all around the country results in significant change in multiple air pollutant emissions of various sources. As many cities and rural areas suffer from the air pollution caused by firework displays and more residential fuel consumption, there is an urgency to examine the impact of the Chinese Spring Festival on air quality. Hence, this paper firstly gives an overall insight into the holiday’s impact on ambient and household air quality in China, both in urban and rural areas. The main findings of this study are: (1) The firework displays affect the air quality of urban and rural atmosphere and household air; (2) the reduction in anthropogenic emissions improves the air quality during the Chinese Spring Festival; (3) the household air in urban areas was affected most by firework burning, while the household air in rural homes was affected most by fuel consumption; and (4) the short-term health impact of air pollution during the holidays also need more concern. Although there have been many publications focused on the holiday’s impact on ambient and household air quality, most of them focused on the measurement of pollutant concentration, while studies on the formation mechanism of air pollution, the influence of meteorological conditions, and the health outcome under the effect of the Chinese Spring Festival are rare. In the future, studies focused on these processes are welcomed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Response of Air Pollution and Its Health Effects to the Rapid Change of Emission Sources)

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