Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41441272›Full record

ArticleToxics2025

Microscopic Evidence of Haze Formation During the COVID-19 Lockdown in Beijing: Insights from Physicochemical Properties.

Wenjun Li, Longyi Shao, Timothy P Jones, Hong Li, Daizhou Zhang, Weijun Li, Jian Gao, M Santosh, Shushen Yang, Kelly BéruBé

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Toxics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Wenjun LiState Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9300-2790
Longyi ShaoCollege of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9975-6091
Timothy P JonesSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3YE, Wales, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4466-1260
Hong LiState Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.ORCID 0000-0002-0457-1017
Daizhou ZhangFaculty of Environmental and Symbiotic Sciences, Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Kumamoto 862-8502, Japan.
Weijun LiDepartment of Atmospheric Sciences, School of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Jian GaoState Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
M SantoshSchool of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geoscience (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China.
Shushen YangDepartment of Environment Engineering, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007, China.
Kelly BéruBéSchool of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, Wales, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7471-7229

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 42475113National Natural Science Foundation of China 42505107Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China 42321002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic emerging in early 2020 triggered global responses. In China, stringent lockdown measures were implemented to suppress the rapid spread of infection, resulting in substantial reductions in anthropogenic emissions. However, several atmospheric haze episodes still occurred. Previous studies have investigated the cause of these haze events predominantly based on the average concentration obtained from bulk analysis, while the micro-scale structure and composition of the haze particles remain poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed the morphology and elemental composition of individual airborne particles collected from an urban area of Beijing in early 2020 using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy equipped with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. The results show that sulfur-dominant, ultrafine, and mixed particles were the most abundant types during the pollution process. Reduced human activities corresponded with a lower percentage of anthropogenic-derived soot, organic particles, and metal-containing particles. Atmospheric aging analysis demonstrated that secondary aerosols were the most significant component during the haze events. The proportion of core-shell particles increased with the intensification of the pollution, while the core/shell ratio of the particles decreased, suggesting a substantial contribution of secondary aerosols to the haze formation. Despite reductions in anthropogenic emissions, larger proportions of secondary aerosol formation enhanced aerosol aging and thereby caused episodic haze pollution during the lockdown period.

Indexed as

COVID-19individual aerosol particlesphysicochemical propertiessecondary aerosol formationTEM-EDX

Identifiers

PMID41441272
PMCPMC12737694

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.