Air pollutants are perhaps the largest cause of diseases and death in the world today. Increasing urbanization and industrialization have caused an increase in number of diverse forms and types of new pollutants, which are difficult to detect and characterize due to their stench behaviour and complex sources of production. Such pollutants have been called emerging pollutants (EPs) and their list is ever increasing. Therefore, the understanding of the method of analysis and health implication of (EPs) in air is critical to providing a more robust understanding of exposure routes, regulations and mitigation. EPs in air discussed in this study are not in any way exhaustive but limited to emerging VOCs (including acrylonitrile, 1−3-butadiene, chloroform, dichloromethane, ethylene oxides, formaldehyde, toluene, trichloroethylene, 1,4-Dioxane) and metals (arsenic, manganese, and vanadium), ultrafine particles, micro- and nano- plastics, engineered nanoparticles, diesel/black carbon and bioaerosols. Occurrence, detection and health implications of these EPs in air are still unfolding due to limited monitoring studies, lack of standard methodology and regulations. To address this knowledge gap, authors conducted an in-depth review of available information. Their spatial distribution, analytical methods and health implications are discussed including the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as a potential EP in air. The study concluded with highlights of gaps in knowledge and suggestions to key areas for future research. This information is of general interest to environmental scientists and of specific interest to both health and sanitation workers and policymakers at private, government and international organizations.

空气污染物可能是当今世界疾病和死亡的最大原因。日益城市化和工业化已导致各种形式和类型的新污染物增加，由于其恶臭行为和复杂的生产来源，这些污染物难以检测和表征。此类污染物被称为新兴污染物（EPs），其清单在不断增加。因此，了解空气中（EPs）的分析方法和对健康的影响对于提供对接触途径，法规和缓解措施的更全面的了解至关重要。本研究中讨论的空气中的EP并非穷尽，而是限于新兴的VOC（包括丙烯腈，1-3-丁二烯，氯仿，二氯甲烷，环氧乙烷，甲醛，甲苯，三氯乙烯，1 4-二恶烷）和金属（砷，锰和钒），超细颗粒，微米和纳米塑料，工程纳米颗粒，柴油/黑碳和生物气溶胶。由于监测研究有限，缺乏标准的方法和法规，这些在空气中的EP的发生，检测和健康影响仍在不断发展。为了解决这一知识鸿沟，作者对现有信息进行了深入审查。讨论了它们的空间分布，分析方法和健康问题，包括新型冠状病毒（COVID-19）作为空气中潜在的EP。该研究在总结时重点介绍了知识方面的差距以及对未来研究的关键领域的建议。这些信息对于环境科学家来说是普遍感兴趣的，对于卫生和环卫工作者以及私人决策者来说，它们都是特别有意义的，