Aerosol Pollution of the Atmosphere (Review): Part 1. Sources, Chemical Composition, and Quantity of Natural Primary Aerosol Particles and Their Impact on Human Health

The paper provides a review of natural sources of aerosols not associated with direct or indirect human activity that make a significant contribution to total aerosol particle emissions. In carrying out these studies, the characteristics of aerosol formation, transport, and chemical composition were considered. It is shown that primary natural aerosols are formed from a wide range of sources, the share of each of which depends on the location, season, and time of day. In the course of an analysis of literary data, data on the chemical composition and the magnitude of the annual emission of aerosol particles of natural origin were systematized. The results of the studies showed that natural aerosol particles are characterized by wide variability of chemical composition. The paper shows that modern estimates of global emissions of natural aerosols (using measurements, modern chemical transport models, global climate models, and various parameterization schemes) differ by orders of magnitude. The data on the impact of different groups of aerosol particles (mineral dust, sea salt aerosols, aerosols from volcanic activity, and aerosol pollution from wildfires) on the health of the population are presented. Aerosol pollution exposure has been shown to cause adverse health effects in humans, including cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, acute lower respiratory disease, lung cancer, adverse birth outcomes, neonatal disease, and even death, but sea salt aerosols may also have positive effects on human health (positive biological activity of some phycotoxins, in particular, essotoxin).