Dr. Kangwei Li and co-workers at the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel have developed a novel analytical method for the detailed characterization of organic peroxides—a health-relevant but rarely explored compound family in atmospheric aerosols. This new method significantly expands the molecular-level understanding of organic peroxides in atmospheric aerosols. Through this method, more than 300 organic peroxides have been identified individually in aerosol particles. This work also developed a method to determine the oxidizing reactivity of these organic peroxides, a property that might be directly linked to the toxicity of these compounds and of air pollution particles as a whole. This study represents a fundamental step for investigating the formation chemistry, reactivity, and health impact of organic peroxides in atmospheric aerosol particles. This work was led by Dr. Kangwei Li and was awarded the Swiss Aerosol Award 2025.
It has been suggested that organic peroxides, a major and reactive compound class in secondary organic aerosol (SOA), can significantly contribute to aerosol toxicity and related health effects and therefore are considered as health-relevant components in aerosol particles. Despite their atmospheric and health importance, the analytical-chemical identification and characterization of specific organic peroxides in atmospheric aerosols is highly challenging and uncertain and therefore it is not clear from which pollution sources these peroxides originate. However, only a clear understanding how these peroxides form in the atmosphere and from which particle sources they are emitted will allow to design specific and effective control policies to decrease the concentration of these harmful components in the atmosphere.
A novel analytical method has been developed for the molecular characterization of organic peroxides in organic aerosol particles, using state-of-the-art analytical-chemical instrumentation. More than 300 organic peroxides have been identified in organic aerosol particles, showing a wide range of reactivities with iodide. The awarded research significantly improves the molecular-level identification and understanding of organic peroxides in SOA. The newly developed method will allow in the future to improve our understanding of these compounds which are likely highly relevant for the toxicity of air pollution particles. Overall, this work highlights the importance of molecular understanding of organic peroxides and their toxicity and health impact in atmospheric aerosols. The Swiss Aerosol Award will be/was presented on 3 November 2025 at the 20th meeting of the Swiss Aerosol Group (SAG). The prize is endowed with CHF 5 000.
Information:
- Dr. Kangwei Li, Postdoc, Atmosphere Sciences Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel,
Original title: Molecular Composition of Organic Peroxides in Secondary Organic Aerosols Revealed by Peroxide-Iodide Reactivity; Source: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c03241
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Airborne pollen is becoming an increasingly important aerosol, driven by rising allergy prevalence and intensifying pollen seasons due to climate change.
While its links to ocular and respiratory symptoms are well established, the broader systemic health effects of pollen remain insufficiently understood. In her research, Alexandra Bürgler advanced this field by uncovering a non-linear association between airborne pollen exposure and elevated blood pressure.
Using data from the EPOCHAL panel study of 400 adults in the Basel region, she showed that both systolic and diastolic blood pressure rise with increasing pollen concentrations in allergic individuals —even at low levels—with stronger effects among women and those with obesity.
By integrating high-resolution environmental data with repeated clinical measurements, her study identifies pollen as a potential systemic health stressor whose impact extends beyond its known respiratory effects.
Bürgler A., Luyten A. Glick S., Kwiatkowski M., Gehrig R., Beigi M., Hartmann K., Eeftens M. (2024) Association between short-term pollen exposure and blood pressure in adults: A repeated-measures study. Environmental Research, 256 (119224). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.119224
Information:
Dr. Alexandra Bürgler, Postdoctoral Scientific Collaborator, Unit of Environmental Exposures and Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute,
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The 2023 award winner, Dr. Lubna Dada from the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen
(pictured with the President of the Prize Committee, Prof. Barbara Rothen)
presented her important work in Bern on November 15, 2023:
On a research ship in the Arctic in April 2020, she observed an extreme weather and air pollution event with a temperature rise of 30 degrees C and with many smoke particles from coal-fired power plants in Russia and China, which were and will continue to be responsible for the rapid melting of the polar ice and also the extreme weather events here.
A central arctic extreme aerosol event triggered by a warm air-mass intrusion
At the Extreme Environments Research Laboratory, EPF Sion, measurements in the central Arctic Ocean, on board of the icebreaker research vessel Polarstern, revealed the extent of aerosol pollution arriving into the central Arctic from mid-latitudes. This phenomenon has serious implications for the Arctic climate since the transported aerosol particles could act as cloud seeds, forming a blanket-like structure with warming properties and accelerating the Arctic amplification process and the Arctic sea ice melt. The results also show how high concentrations of anthropogenic air pollution reach sensitive ecosystems where no noticeable local pollutant emissions are observed. The work highlights the importance of transboundary global efforts in reducing air pollutants especially in the context of global warming. This work was shown by Lubna Dada and was awarded the Swiss Aerosol Award 2023
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This year we could present the award to two researchers for their excellent work out of many submissions:
Anne Lüscher
The circulation of pathogens in the form of aerosols is an important route of transmission of diseases and respiratory infections in particular. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again shown that airborne virus distribution is extremely complex and that current understanding is insufficient to make accurate predictions about the transmission dynamics in practice. To improve this understanding, tracers - substances that behave similarly to aerosolized viruses in terms of size and properties - are essential. Anne Lüscher and her co-authors therefore developed a new tracing method to improve and simplify the study of indoor aerosol dynamics. In their award-winning work, they were able to show that silica particles with encapsulated DNA (SPEDs) can be deployed in aerosolized form, followed by recapturing and quantification at different positions. This is enabled by "DNA barcodes" enclosed in the particles: Short synthetic DNA sequences can be reliably detected by the PCR method with high accuracy and a sensitivity at the single-particle level. The silica matrix on the one hand protects the DNA and, on the other hand, can be produced size-specifically. In the published work, position-, ventilation- and time-dependent effects of indoor aerosol exposure could be demonstrated using SPEDs, enabling conclusions on the room architecture and air circulation. The proposed setup requires little technical infrastructure and is therefore mobile, making it particularly suitable for the investigation of real-life exposure scenarios in indoor settings, transportation scenarios and the environment.
Original title: Luescher, AM, Koch, J, Stark, WJ, Grass, RN. Silica-encapsulated DNA tracers for measuring aerosol distribution dynamics in real-world settings. Indoor Air. 2022; 32:e12945. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12945
Nadine Karlen
At the University of Applied Sciences FHNW, Brugg-Windisch, a novel aerosol measurement method called DustEar has been developed that detects particles acoustically. It allows the direct measurement of the mass of single particles. From this, the PM concentration can be determined. In Switzerland particle PM exposure is regulated and total mass of airborne particles of health relevant sizes (e.g. PM10) is monitored. Therefore this measurement principle with its robust setting and direct measurement can make an important contribution in the field of aerosol monitoring.
Human health is affected by exposure to high or long-term aerosol concentrations. Due to their small size, aerosol particles can reach the lungs via the respiratory tract and also enter the bloodstream, where they can cause serious diseases. Therefore, limit values for aerosol mass concentrations are regulated by the WHO and need to be monitored. Due to the heterogeneity of aerosol concentrations and their complex interactions with the environment, long-term measurements of air pollution require both high spatial and temporal resolution for reliable statements about fluctuations or trends. Currently, there is no accurate way to determine mass-based exposure values or PM concentrations at specific locations in real time. To close this gap, DustEar enables reliable and cost-effective PM measurements.
In the awarded work, the proof of concept for a new measurement method was provided where aerosols are detected acoustically. The measurement principle allows the in-situ detection of liquid and solid particles. In the DustEar particles are accelerated in a nozzle and impact on a piezoelectric sensor. Each impacted particle generates a characteristic signal pulse whose amplitude is proportional to the particle mass. The study showed a current detection limit of 50 picogram particle mass that corresponds to a particle size of several micrometers. The challenges in the development of this measurement method included turbulence-free flow guidance with a defined flow profile, the design of a low-noise electronic circuit and the suitable selection of a piezo transducer. On the one hand, the transducer has to be robust against the noise of the air flow and, on the other hand, it has to be sensitive enough to detect the particle signals. The goal of a current Innosuisse project is to further lower the detection limit to submicrometer sizes. This requires special conditions, such as a particle impaction at reduced pressure, to ensure the impaction of the small particles. To be able to detect them, the signal-to-noise ratio must be improved by several orders of magnitude by increasing the particle velocity and optimizing the electronics and sensor technology.
DustEar combines the advantages of the state-of-the-art measurement methods in a simple, robust and portable measurement device based on direct mass measurement. Thus, it will enable a denser monitoring network with comparable reference devices that allow reliable long-term measurements. DustEar can also be used for source apportionment studies due to the size-resolved data.
The new measurement principle has the potential to make a valuable contribution to one of the most important research topics of our society: the improvement of air quality monitoring.
Information: Nadine Karlen, Research Associate, Aerosol measurement group, Institute for Sensors and Electronics, University of Applied Sciences, Windisch,
Original title: Single Aerosol Particle Detection by Acoustic Impaction; Source: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9768831
The Swiss Aerosol Award will be/was presented November 2nd 2022 at the 17th meeting of the Swiss Aerosol Group (SAG).
Thanks to a generous donation from the Swiss Lung Foundation, every year the Swiss
Aerosol Group (SAG) can award a prize of 5'000 CHF to the best scientific publication
in the field of international Aerosol research, written from within Switzerland.
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Fine dust exacerbates colds
Exposure to particulate matter alters the immune response of nasal epithelial cells in a way that makes it easier for cold viruses to multiply. This leads to a stronger inflammatory response, which is thought to be associated with more symptoms. This was shown by PD Dr. Loretta Müller and PD Dr. Jakob Usemann in their work - which was awarded the Swiss Aerosol Award 2021.
It has been known for some time that particulate matter and other air pollutants can influence the immune response and the reproduction of influenza viruses. However, it has not yet been investigated whether air pollution alters infection with the so-called rhinoviruses. Rhinoviruses are very frequent viruses and mainly cause the common cold. In children, however, rhinoviruses can also cause severe respiratory symptoms. In addition, rhinovirus infection may predispose for later asthma development.
In their award-winning work on the influence of diesel particles on the susceptibility of nasal epithelial cells to rhinovirus infection, PD Dr. Loretta Müller, group leader in the Pediatric Pneumology and Allergology at the University Children’s Hospital, Inselspital Bern and the Department of BioMedical Research (DBMR) at the University of Bern, and PD Dr. Jakob Usemann, consultant at the University Children’s Hospital Zürich and research associate at the Children's Hospital of Basel (UKBB), were able to show that prior exposure to diesel particles increases the amount of rhinovirus in nasal epithelial cells. This occurs via the downregulation of viral defense receptors and an upregulation of inflammatory messenger substances. The study, which included nasal epithelial cells from 49 children aged 0-7 years and 12 adults, also showed that the effects were independent of the participant’s age.
The Swiss Aerosol Award will be/was presented on 02 November 2021 at the 16th meeting of the Swiss Aerosol Group (SAG). The prize is endowed with CHF 5 000.
Information:
- Otto Brändli, Swiss Lung Foundation,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; 079 688 53 37 - PD Dr. Loretta Müller, Pediatric Pneumology and Allergology, University Children’s Hospital, Inselspital Bern and Department of BioMedical Research (DBMR), University of Bern,
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 079 605 32 22 - PD Dr. med Jakob Usemann, PhD, University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB),
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 076 441 95 18
Original title: Diesel exposure increases susceptibility of primary human nasal epithelial cells to rhinovirus infection
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8451029/
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- Swiss Aerosol Award 2020: particulate emissions of a business jet and automated pollen measurement
- Swiss Aerosol Award 2019: emissions with a special focus on biomass burning
- All prize winners overview
- Swiss Aerosol Award 2018: Award for research into the emission behavior of direct-injection gasoline vehicles (GDI) (2)