Air Quality Atmosphere and Health最新文献

{"title":"Strategic selection of urban trees using APTI, DCC, and API: evaluating dust sequestration and pollution tolerance in Nagpur, India","authors":"Sangita Gami,&nbsp;Ashwini Kardbhajne,&nbsp;Sharda Dhadse","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02086-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02086-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Urban air pollution poses a significant threat to ecological and human health, particularly in rapidly urbanizing cities such as Beijing. Nagpur is a developing city that is experiencing degradation in air quality. This study evaluates the impact of urban air pollution on five roadside tree species using biochemical and physiological attributes, Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI), dust capture capacity (DCC), and Anticipated Performance Index (API). DCC was quantified using a gravimetric method based on the amount of particulate matter retained on the leaf surfaces. Two-way ANOVA showed significant effects of site and species on total chlorophyll, leaf pH, and RWC (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), with significant site × species interactions for total chlorophyll and leaf pH. APTI values declined under roadside conditions, with <i>Pongamia pinnata</i> recording the highest polluted-site APTI (8.0), whereas the lowest was found in <i>Lagerstroemia speciosa</i> (6.4). <i>Ficus hispida</i> exhibited the highest dust capture capacity (DCC) (1.26 mg/cm²). A weak negative correlation was observed between APTI and DCC (<i>r</i> = − 0.242, <i>p</i> = 0.090), indicating that physiological pollution tolerance and particulate retention were not necessarily associated with each other. <i>Pongamia pinnata</i> had the highest API score, followed by <i>Ficus hispida</i>, and were categorized as good, whereas <i>Tabebuia rosea</i> recorded the lowest API performance. The findings of the present study may contribute to species selection for sustainable greenbelt development and urban environmental planning in pollution-affected areas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838194","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Coupled impacts of roof structures and vegetation configurations on airflow and pollutant dispersion in Street Canyons","authors":"Minghao Lu,&nbsp;Choon Wah Yuen,&nbsp;Chiu Chuen Onn,&nbsp;Nik Ibtishamiah Ibrahim,&nbsp;Hong Ki An,&nbsp;Munder Bilema","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02087-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02087-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>To elucidate the regulatory mechanisms of roof structure and vegetation configurations on airflow and pollutant dispersion in street canyons, this study employs a CFD model validated by wind tunnel experiments. Different roof structures are incorporated into the street canyon system to establish combined configuration scenarios of roadway vegetation and roof structures. Four typical roof structures are considered, including flat roofs, vaulted roofs, slanted roofs, and trapezoidal roofs. In response to the requirements of green infrastructure development, vegetation parameters are introduced to characterize configuration features. A unified vegetation arrangement is adopted, including a single row of trees along the street centerline and two rows along both sides, with three tree crown height scales (H/2, H/3, and H/4). By analyzing the effects of parameter variations on airflow structures and pollutant concentration distributions within street canyons, and in combination with the dimensionless air exchange rate (ACH*) and dimensionless net escape velocity (NEV*), the regulatory roles of these factors are systematically investigated. Results show that lower tree crowns improve ventilation and pollutant removal in flat-roof canyons, while slanted and trapezoidal roofs perform better under no-vegetation conditions. Reducing roof height also decreases pedestrian-level pollutant accumulation in vaulted, slanted, and trapezoidal canyons. The best vaulted-roof case increased ACH* by nearly 90% and NEV* by more than fourfold. Maximum ACH* gains for slanted and trapezoidal roofs were about 15% and 13%, while NEV* increased by 50% and 60%, respectively. Optimal crown height depended on roof structure and evaluation index, highlighting the need for coordinated optimization of roof structures and vegetation configuration in urban street canyons.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atmospheric forcing of episodic wildfire activity in KwaZulu-Natal: Implications for fire risk modelling","authors":"Farahnaz Fazel-Rastgar,&nbsp;S. H. Mthembu","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02082-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02082-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Wildfires are increasingly driven by extreme weather and climate variability, posing risks to ecosystems, infrastructure, and human health. This study examines the severe KwaZulu-Natal wildfire of August 4, 2024, using an integrated, process-based framework that combines satellite fire detections, tree cover change data, atmospheric reanalysis, and air quality observations. This study provides a new integrated event-scale assessment of Berg Wind-driven wildfire forcing, atmospheric air-quality impacts, and ecological disturbance associated with an extreme wildfire event in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Analysis of NASA FIRMS and Global Forest Watch data shows that wildfire activity in KwaZulu-Natal is highly episodic, with short-lived but intense fire peaks dominating the seasonal regime. The August 2024 event occurred under anomalously warm winter conditions, extremely low relative humidity, and strong downslope Berg Winds associated with an advancing dry cold front. Reanalysis reveals a coherent atmospheric structure, including a strong surface pressure gradient, upper-level ridging, subsidence, and gusty winds exceeding 20 m s⁻¹, creating conditions conducive to rapid fire ignition and spread. The wildfire substantially degraded air quality, with elevated PM₂.₅ concentrations and enhanced column-integrated organic carbon transported downslope. Tree cover loss analysis indicates that wildfire is an episodic yet significant contributor to long-term forest disturbance, adding pressure to remaining natural ecosystems. These findings highlight the critical role of short-term atmospheric extremes in amplifying wildfire risk, underscore the influence of Berg Wind–dry cold front interactions on fire behaviour, and demonstrate the value of integrating atmospheric forcing into ecological wildfire models, early warning systems, and mitigation strategies in fire-prone regions. By linking drivers, dynamics, and impacts, this work advances process-based ecological modelling of extreme wildfire events.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11869-026-02082-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Atmospheric carbonyl compounds in a tropical urban area: Levels, occurrence, and Monte Carlo-based health risk assessment","authors":"Mateus S. Moreira,&nbsp;Lícia P. S. Cruz","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02083-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02083-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Carbonyl compounds (CCs) are relevant atmospheric pollutants due to the high toxicity and carcinogenicity of some species. This study assessed the lifetime carcinogenic (LCR) and non-carcinogenic (hazard quotient, HQ; hazard index, HI) risks for three age groups exposed by inhalation, using Monte Carlo simulations based on CCs’ atmospheric levels measured at seven sites in Salvador, Brazil, during the rainy and dry periods. Ten CCs were passively sampled and determined by HPLC-UV. Formaldehyde (FA) and acetaldehyde (AA) predominated, accounting for approximately 55% and 61% of total concentrations in the rainy and dry periods, respectively. Higher molecular weight carbonyls predominated at heavy-duty traffic sites, reflecting Brazil’s vehicular fuel matrix, which favors both direct emissions and secondary photochemical formation of CCs. FA concentrations exceeded the TCEQ long-term exposure limit (3.30 µg m^− 3) at all sites and periods, reaching up to 7.4 times this limit during the dry period. At the 95th percentile, LCR values for FA and AA exceeded the USEPA lower acceptable limit (1.0 × 10^− 6) for all age groups, and FA (up to 3.49 × 10^− 5) exceeded the WHO upper limit (1.0 × 10^− 5), especially among adults. Deterministic LCR values fell within the 60th–75th percentile range of the probabilistic distributions, indicating that this conventional method underestimated cancer risks. For acrolein, the HQ (P95) was fourfold above the USEPA limit (HQ ≤ 1) in children, and the cumulative HI (P95) exceeded this limit across all three groups. These results showed that no age group is fully protected, highlighting the need to include FA, AA, and acrolein in Brazilian air quality standards, to implement stricter controls on vehicle emissions, and to establish extensive, continuous atmospheric monitoring.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11869-026-02083-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term exposure to PM2.5-bound metals and female breast cancer incidence in New Mexico, USA","authors":"Yanhong Huang,&nbsp;Charles L. Wiggins,&nbsp;Angela L. W. Meisner,&nbsp;Yan Lin,&nbsp;Li Luo,&nbsp;Xi Gong","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02079-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02079-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Female breast cancer (FBC) is the most commonly diagnosed malignant cancer and the second leading cancer cause of death among women in the United States. Environmental exposures, particularly PM_2.5-bound metals, have been increasingly associated with breast cancer incidence. We evaluated associations between long-term residential exposure to PM_2.5-bound metals and age-adjusted FBC incidence rate at the census tract level in New Mexico from 1997 to 2019. FBC records were obtained from the New Mexico Tumor Registry. Annual metal exposure intensities for chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, and mercury were estimated using a calibrated Emission Weighted Proximity Model (EWPM) over a 10-year pre-diagnosis window. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) with Gaussian estimation was used to estimate rate ratio (RR) for the association between PM_2.5-bound metal exposure and FBC incidence in New Mexico. Exposure to PM_2.5-bound chromium (adjusted RR 1.07, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.08), cobalt (adjusted RR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.11), copper (adjusted RR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.07), manganese (adjusted RR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.08), and mercury (adjusted RR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.07) show significant associations with increased FBC incidence rate. When exposure was categorized as unexposed, low, medium, and high groups, a significant increasing trend was observed across all five metals. Long-term exposure to multiple PM_2.5-bound metals is associated with elevated FBC incidence rate in New Mexico. These findings highlight the need for further research and to biologically validate the observed associations and clarify potential mechanisms linking PM_2.5-bound metal exposure to FBC incidence risk.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13506564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148833439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unveiling the determinants of resource depletion and air quality in BRICS countries","authors":"Piyali Kumar,&nbsp;Dibyendu Ghosh","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02084-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02084-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the era of sustainable development and the global effort to combat climate change, the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) continue to face rapid environmental degradation despite their fast-paced economic growth. A proactive stance toward ecological sustainability is imperative to improve environmental quality and mitigate emissions. Consequently, this study is motivated by the urgent need to examine the reduction of resource depletion and harmful air emissions (GHG and non-GHG) through the lenses of sustainable energy, ecological capacity, and economic activity. It addresses the persistent determinants in emerging BRICS economies of balancing ecological degradation and air quality during 2000–2025. Primarily, we applied Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag for short-run and long-run estimations, then confirmed by Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group robustness tests. Results support the Environmental Kuznets proposition for non-methane volatile organic compounds and particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), and confirm that BRICS economies have crossed the EKC ‘turning point’ for these pollutants, except PM₁₀, which requires further progress toward achieving green growth. Afterwards, this research extends prior studies by employing Method of Moments Quantile Regression to capture distributional heterogeneity across three quantiles: low (0.25), moderate (0.50), and high (0.75). Biocapacity amplifies ecological footprint but contributes to greenhouse gas mitigation at low and moderate quantiles. Economic integration through trade and transportation reinforces environmental degradation, while greater consumption of and investment in clean energy dampen it. The observations underscore the importance of prioritising the production and export of green manufactured goods, enhancing natural resource stocks, and transitioning toward renewable energy and electric vehicle adoption to optimise sustainability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837491","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interplay of air pollutants and meteorological factors with particulate matter: insights from data analysis of 42 Indian cities","authors":"Lakshmi Manalipadam,&nbsp;Charu Sharma,&nbsp;Samit Bhattacharyya","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02081-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02081-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Air pollution, particularly particulate matter (PM), poses a severe environmental and public health challenge in India, with concentrations often exceeding WHO guidelines. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of PM trends across 42 cities in India throughout 2023, offering a large-scale perspective on seasonal variations and their interactions with meteorological factors (temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction) and co-pollutants (<i>SO</i>₂,<i>NO</i>₂,CO and <i>O</i>₃). Using data from 94 monitoring stations, we employ correlation and path analysis to assess both direct and indirect effects on PM levels. Our findings reveal a notable correlation between PM and pollutants, particularly <i>NO</i>₂ and CO, with over 47 monitoring stations showing a significant positive correlation. In addition, seasonal trends are identified in relation to temperature and humidity. Path analysis indicates that meteorological factors mainly affect PM concentrations indirectly, while co-pollutants exert a more direct influence. The model effectively accounts for PM variability with high <i>R</i>² values for more than 80% of the stations. Furthermore, the variance inflation factor (VIF) is below 5 for 90% of the stations, ensuring robust statistical reliability. These results highlight the necessity for targeted pollution control measures that consider both emission reductions and meteorological factors to ensure effective air quality management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A review of snowcover-based air pollution deposition research and model validation in Estonia since 1985","authors":"Terje Tammekivi,&nbsp;Marko Kaasik,&nbsp;Marek Maasikmets,&nbsp;Arkadi Ebber,&nbsp;Outi Meinander","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02073-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02073-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study presents the results of snow-based monitoring of atmospheric deposition of air pollution in Estonia, focusing on two contrasting regions: the industrialised North-East and the rural South-East. Over a 40-year period, snow samples were collected to assess spatial and temporal trends in pollutant deposition, particularly sulphate and calcium associated with the combustion and handling of <i>kukersite</i> oil shale. The findings show that while emissions of sulphur dioxide and fly ash have declined significantly by factors of 20–30 and over 100 respectively the corresponding decreases in sulphate and calcium deposition have not been proportional. In recent years, oil shale based industries have gradually declined. Calcium deposition, however, remains elevated in areas near active oil shale mining, suggesting persistent emissions from non‑combustible sources such as blasting and transport operations. Comparative modelling using the high-resolution Gaussian dispersion model AEROPOL shows good agreement with measured fluxes when all relevant emission sources are included, while models with coarser resolution, although physically and computationally more advanced, underestimate deposition, especially in areas close to pollution sources. Additional sampling from South Estonia revealed patterns related to residential wood burning and traffic. This study confirms the value of snow-based deposition measurements for validating air quality models and tracking pollution trends. It also highlights the importance of including both combustion and mechanical emission sources in future environmental assessments and modelling efforts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phytoremediation of trace-level formaldehyde within complex mixtures by Dieffenbachia seguine: a diurnal physiological study","authors":"Ginting Dwi Setiawan,&nbsp;Chairat Treesubsuntorn,&nbsp;Aminatun Munawarti,&nbsp;Fitri Yola Amandita,&nbsp;Dian Siswanto","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02078-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02078-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Formaldehyde, a Group 1 carcinogen, is a ubiquitous indoor air pollutant frequently encountered in residential and occupational settings. While most phytoremediation research utilizes acute toxicological doses, indoor formaldehyde typically exists at trace levels within complex mixtures of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter. This study evaluated the phytoremediation potential of the C3 ornamental plant <i>Dieffenbachia seguine</i> (dumb cane) for trace-level formaldehyde (0.4–0.6 ppm) derived from cigarette smoke, simulating a realistic, multi-component pollution scenario. Plants were exposed to smoke-derived formaldehyde in a closed system over a 24-h diurnal cycle to assess performance under light versus dark conditions, using <i>Dracaena trifasciata</i> as a reference benchmark species. Notably, <i>D. seguine</i> exhibited &gt; 50% removal of formaldehyde within 2 h and achieved near-total removal (98.8%) after 24 h under light conditions. While removal under dark conditions was slightly lower (92.7%), the performance remained statistically comparable to the reference species, <i>D. trifasciata</i>. Despite a significant reduction in stomatal aperture (from 64 to 36%) as an adaptive response to smoke exposure, <i>D. seguine</i> maintained biochemical homeostasis. Statistical analysis revealed that while unexposed plants plants exhibited a typical light-induced increase in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels, no significant diurnal differences in IAA were observed under smoke exposure, indicating a stabilized hormonal profile. Furthermore, no significant degradation was observed in chlorophyll levels or catalase (CAT) activity, confirming a high innate tolerance to trace-level oxidative stress. These findings suggest that <i>D. seguine</i> is a resilient biological sink for atmospheric formaldehyde and a superior candidate for sustainable indoor air quality management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148782632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could foods from the Mediterranean diet act as a DNA-protective tool against the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of urban fine air particulate matter (PM0.5)? An exploratory investigation on bacteria and human cell lines","authors":"Carlotta Alias,&nbsp;Claudia Zani,&nbsp;Ilaria Zerbini,&nbsp;Donatella Feretti","doi":"10.1007/s11869-026-02077-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11869-026-02077-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Fine particulate matter (PM_0.5) is an emerging public health concern due to its ability to penetrate deeply into tissues and induce oxidative stress–mediated damage, contributing to the development of chronic diseases. Despite increasing exposure in urban environments, its biological effects and potential mitigation strategies remain insufficiently explored. This study investigated whether selected foods typical of the Mediterranean diet (yoghurt, apples, lemons, peaches, kiwis, broccoli, onions, and tomatoes) can reduce PM_0.5-induced DNA damage. The protective effects of these foods were evaluated using the Ames test on <i>Salmonella typhimurium</i> TA98 and the comet assay on human cell lines derived from lung (A549), liver (HepG2), and colorectal (HT-29) tissues. Exposure to PM_0.5 organic extracts induced significant mutagenic and genotoxic effects. However, several foods demonstrated notable protective capacity. In bacterial assays, yoghurt, apple, onion, and tomato reduced mutagenicity by over 50%. In human cells, yoghurt and tomato (including tomato purée) showed the strongest protective effects, reducing DNA damage by up to 90% in A549 cells. Additional reductions were observed with peach, apple, and onion across different cell lines. These findings highlight the relevance of investigating PM_0.5 toxicity given its implications for public health, and suggest that components of the Mediterranean diet, particularly fermented foods and vegetables, may play a role in mitigating DNA damage induced by fine particulate matter. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and confirm the potential protective effects in vivo.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><div><figure><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></figure></div></div>","PeriodicalId":49109,"journal":{"name":"Air Quality Atmosphere and Health","volume":"19 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11869-026-02077-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148752310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}