Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants

A special issue of Journal of Xenobiotics (ISSN 2039-4713).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 24299

Special Issue Editors

School of Environmental Science & Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
Interests: enzymatic transformation of xenobiotics; QSAR modeling; mass spectrometry-based proteomics
Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110000, Liaoning, China
Interests: environmental transformation processes of emerging pollutants and predicting models
School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu, China
Interests: testing and evaluating the endocrine disrupting effects of xenobiotics; computational toxicology; ecological and health risk assessment of xenobiotics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It has been decades since human beings first began to recognize the detrimental effects that anthropogenic chemicals (i.e., xenobiotics) exert on us and our ecosystem in the 1960s. In fact, the development of environmental science can basically be deemed as the history of humans combating xenobiotic relevant issues, which are exemplified by the early lessons learnt from eggshell thinning and the population decline of birds caused by metabolites of the notorious insecticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), as well as human neurological syndrome (Minamata disease) induced by methylmercury poisoning.

Despite our past implementation to regulate and eliminate traditional persistent organic pollutants (POPs), we are now increasingly exposed to hundreds of thousands of xenobiotics (> 350,000 in the global market), while enjoying their welfares as daily used commercial products. These massive chemical entities contribute to a huge xenobiotic “reservoir”, where emerging environmental contaminants (EECs) are continuously arising, threatening our society’s sustainable development and posing a great risk to the health of humans and the ecosystem. Though ambitious, the global goal set by the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) to “minimize significant adverse impacts of chemicals by 2020” is far from being achieved. Continuous efforts are urgently required to escort the sound management of synthetic chemicals via thorough environmental exposure evaluation and hazard identification.

To boost this step, this Special Issue themed “Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants” is designated to gather mini-reviews and research articles addressing issues/topics related with EECs, such as new POPs (e.g., perfluoroalkyl substances), endocrine-disrupting chemicals, nanomaterials, microplastics, highly hazardous pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, novel flame retardants, etc. The issues/topics include, but are not limited to, identifying EECs’ exposure (e.g., environmental occurrence, profile, chemicals in products and life cycle assessment), resolving environmental behaviors (e.g., environmental partitioning, transportation and transformations) and evaluating potential toxicological effects through high-throughput computational toxicological models/techniques (e.g., QSAR) or in vitro assays.

Dr. Zhiqiang Fu
Dr. Siyu Zhang
Dr. Xianhai Yang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Xenobiotics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • emerging environmental contaminants (EECs)
  • xenobiotics
  • persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
  • per-/poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)
  • endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)
  • pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)
  • risk assessment

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Review

13 pages, 1933 KiB  
Review
Research Progress of the Endocrine-Disrupting Effects of Disinfection Byproducts
by Shuxin Sui, Huihui Liu and Xianhai Yang
J. Xenobiot. 2022, 12(3), 145-157; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jox12030013 - 28 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2710
Abstract
Since 1974, more than 800 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have been identified from disinfected drinking water, swimming pool water, wastewaters, etc. Some DBPs are recognized as contaminants of high environmental concern because they may induce many detrimental health (e.g., cancer, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity) and/or [...] Read more.
Since 1974, more than 800 disinfection byproducts (DBPs) have been identified from disinfected drinking water, swimming pool water, wastewaters, etc. Some DBPs are recognized as contaminants of high environmental concern because they may induce many detrimental health (e.g., cancer, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity) and/or ecological (e.g., acute toxicity and development toxicity on alga, crustacean, and fish) effects. However, the information on whether DBPs may elicit potential endocrine-disrupting effects in human and wildlife is scarce. It is the major objective of this paper to summarize the reported potential endocrine-disrupting effects of the identified DBPs in the view of adverse outcome pathways (AOPs). In this regard, we introduce the potential molecular initiating events (MIEs), key events (KEs), and adverse outcomes (AOs) associated with exposure to specific DBPs. The present evidence indicates that the endocrine system of organism can be perturbed by certain DBPs through some MIEs, including hormone receptor-mediated mechanisms and non-receptor-mediated mechanisms (e.g., hormone transport protein). Lastly, the gaps in our knowledge of the endocrine-disrupting effects of DBPs are highlighted, and critical directions for future studies are proposed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants)
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20 pages, 521 KiB  
Review
Glyphosate vs. Glyphosate-Based Herbicides Exposure: A Review on Their Toxicity
by Carlos Martins-Gomes, Tânia L. Silva, Tatiana Andreani and Amélia M. Silva
J. Xenobiot. 2022, 12(1), 21-40; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jox12010003 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 47 | Viewed by 7615
Abstract
Glyphosate-based herbicide has been the first choice for weed management worldwide since the 1970s, mainly due to its efficacy and reported low toxicity, which contributed to its high acceptance. Many of the recent studies focus solely on the persistence of pesticides in soils, [...] Read more.
Glyphosate-based herbicide has been the first choice for weed management worldwide since the 1970s, mainly due to its efficacy and reported low toxicity, which contributed to its high acceptance. Many of the recent studies focus solely on the persistence of pesticides in soils, air, water or food products, or even on the degree of exposure of animals, since their potential hazards to human health have raised concerns. Given the unaware exposure of the general population to pesticides, and the absence of a significant number of studies on occupational hazards, new glyphosate-induced toxicity data obtained for both residual and acute doses should be analyzed and systematized. Additionally, recent studies also highlight the persistence and toxicity of both glyphosate metabolites and surfactants present in herbicide formulations. To renew or ban the use of glyphosate, recently published studies must be taken into account, aiming to define new levels of safety for exposure to herbicide, its metabolites, and the toxic excipients of its formulations. This review aims to provide an overview of recent publications (2010–present) on in vitro and in vivo studies aimed at verifying the animal toxicity induced by glyphosate, its metabolite aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) and glyphosate-based formulations, evaluated in various experimental models. Apart from glyphosate-induced toxicity, recent data concerning the role of surfactants in the toxicity of glyphosate-based formulations are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants)
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12 pages, 302 KiB  
Review
Non-Negligible Effects of UV Irradiation on Transformation and Environmental Risks of Microplastics in the Water Environment
by Fangyuan Cheng, Tingting Zhang, Yue Liu, Yanan Zhang and Jiao Qu
J. Xenobiot. 2022, 12(1), 1-12; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jox12010001 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5164
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in environmental media, and their harmful effects on MPs on the ecosystem have attracted more and more attention. Once released into the environment, MPs can trigger oxidative degradation through ultraviolet (UV) to cause photoaging. Photoaging significantly affects the properties [...] Read more.
Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in environmental media, and their harmful effects on MPs on the ecosystem have attracted more and more attention. Once released into the environment, MPs can trigger oxidative degradation through ultraviolet (UV) to cause photoaging. Photoaging significantly affects the properties of MPs, which leads to changing their environmental behaviors and increasing environmental risks. In this review, the generation of MPs under UV irradiation and the influence of environmental factors on the photoaging of MPs were discussed. Photoaging of MPs is an important process affecting the migration, transformation and interaction of pollutants in water and soil. In order to fully predict the fate and environmental interaction of MPs, more researches are needed in the future to explore the photoaging behavior of different types of MPs under natural environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants)
16 pages, 304 KiB  
Review
Pharmaceutical Pollution and Disposal of Expired, Unused, and Unwanted Medicines in the Brazilian Context
by Letícia de Araújo Almeida Freitas and Gandhi Radis-Baptista
J. Xenobiot. 2021, 11(2), 61-76; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/jox11020005 - 18 May 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 7190
Abstract
The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is an everyday recognized concern worldwide, and drugs as environmental contaminants have been detected in water and soil systems, posing risks to humans and wildlife. The presence of drugs in wastewater, groundwater, and even drinking water [...] Read more.
The occurrence of pharmaceuticals in the environment is an everyday recognized concern worldwide, and drugs as environmental contaminants have been detected in water and soil systems, posing risks to humans and wildlife. The presence of drugs in wastewater, groundwater, and even drinking water occurs in several countries, including Brazil, where the pharmaceutical market is expanding over the years. The adverse, harmful effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment range from the spreading of antimicrobial resistance and species survival to the interference with reproduction and increased cancer incidence in humans. Therefore, it is demanding to count on proper legislation to prevent these pollutants from entering the distinct environment compartments. In some developed countries, laws, directives, programs, and initiatives regarding drug disposal reach a mature status. In Brazil, federal laws dealing with drug residues’ management are recent, with flaws that might facilitate non-compliance with drug pollution issues. Besides, pharmacies and drugstores are not obligated to collect unneeded household medicines, while particular State laws aim to ordinate the disposal of drug residues regionally. In this review, we consider the current knowledge about pharmaceutical (drug) pollution, the recommendation and regulations on the disposal of useless medicines in some countries, and in the context of the expanding pharmaceutical market in Brazil. The awareness of emerging contaminants in the environment, besides the joint effort of authorities, consumers, and the general public nationwide, will be required to avoid pharmaceutical/drug pollution and achieve an eco-friendly environment and a sustainable society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Xenobiotics as Emerging Environmental Contaminants)
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