Contribution of Aerosol Sources to Health Impacts

Abstract

tmospheric aerosol is one of the major leading environmental risk factors for human health worldwide, potentially causing several million premature deaths per year [1,2]. Several epidemiological studies evidence associations between exposure to PM and the onset of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases [3] as well as cardiopulmonary diseases and other adverse health effects [4]. Exact mechanisms leading to PM toxicity are still not completely understood; however, it has been observed that adverse health effects of atmospheric particles depend on their size and their chemical–physical properties, which are strongly linked to their emission sources.