Dear Colleagues,

Drinking water is an exposure route for several contaminants of natural and synthetic origin that can harm human health. Exposure to drinking water pollutants is associated with adverse health effects, including elevated cancer risks, higher-frequency adverse birth outcomes, and changes in cognition and behaviour, among other concerns. As documented by extensive research, geographic location plays a role in overall exposure to drinking water contaminants through geological variability, drinking water source, and proximity of a water source to the discharge sites for industrial pollutants or areas of intensive agricultural activity. Recent studies have also highlighted the importance of addressing social disparities in drinking water quality in order to advance the goals of environmental health justice. While some contaminants found in drinking water are regulated by government agencies, the presence of contaminants at concentrations below the existing legal limits may still pose a risk to human health. Furthermore, in the United States the levels of pollutants in private wells are generally not subject to government agency regulation or regular monitoring.

This Special Issue aims to better understand human exposure to drinking water contaminants, the risks such contaminants may pose to human health, and how that information can inform drinking water policy and regulation. Areas of interest for this Special Issue include drinking water and environmental justice, exposure assessments of both unregulated and regulated contaminants, epidemiological studies assessing health effects of real-world exposures to drinking water contaminants, economic analyses of health impacts associated with exposure to chemicals in drinking water, and cumulative risk assessments or studies of chemical mixtures commonly found in drinking water.

Original research articles, reviews, as well as risk assessment frameworks are welcome. I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alexis M. Temkin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Toxics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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.

• drinking water
• nitrate
• disinfection by-products
• arsenic
• cumulative risk assessment
• private wells
• PFAS
• emerging pollutants
• adverse health effects
• children’s health