Pesticide and Emerging Organic Pollutant Analyses and their Ecotoxicological Evaluation in Soil and Aquatic Environments

Dear Colleagues,

Recent studies have shown that pesticides and emerging organic pollutants (PEOPs) are widespread in soil and aquatic ecosystems, and these contaminants of increasing concern strongly inhibit the normal health functions of terrestrial and aquatic organisms, both invertebrates and vertebrates. Analytical protocols and eco-toxicity assessments should be developed to determine the presence of PEOPs and their metabolites and ensure that they are not harmful to soil and aquatic ecosystems.

It is necessary to measure PEOPs content and understand their fate and transformation in soil and aquatic environments, including rivers and estuarine habitats; it is also necessary to monitor the bioavailability of PEOPs in living organisms. Risk analysis is necessary to ensure environmental health and safeguard the human consumption of crops, fish, and marine products in general. Therefore, we need to understand the input and distribution of PEOPs in soil and aquatic systems as well as their toxic effects in terrestrial and aquatic organisms. Since PEOPs metabolic degradation leads to a reduction or activation of their toxic effects, biochemical and molecular biology studies on PEOPs’ metabolites are also needed for PEOP-exposed soils and aquatic organisms.

Biomarkers will help us understand how PEOPs impact terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Omics studies can develop such biomarkers in terrestrial and aquatic animals. In the interest of promoting a safe ecosystem, we need to reduce PEOPs in soil and aquatic ecosystems by gathering information about PEOPs of particular concern. In addition to these environmental studies, water treatment technology has been developed to minimize or remove PEOPs from contaminated water, (e.g., membrane treatments to remove pharmaceutical and personal care products “PPCPs”).

We invite researchers from all over the world to contribute their original research and reviews concerning how PEOPs adversely affect terrestrial and aquatic organisms. These articles may also monitor soil and aquatic environmental hazards caused by PEOPs. We are particularly interested in articles describing how the presence of PEOPs is monitored in our soils and aquatic environments. Articles or reviews describing methods to remove PEOPs from the soil and aquatic environment using advanced water treatment technologies are also welcome.

Potential topics can include, but are not limited to:

• Monitoring PEOPs in rivers and sea, including estuarine habitats
• Monitoring PEOPs in fish and marine products
• Monitoring PEOPs in agricultural soils and crops
• Analytical studies to detect PEOPs in soil and aquatic environments, including sludge
• Development of biomarkers to detect PPCPs in soil and aquatic organisms
• Omics studies to develop biomarkers to monitor how PEOPs affect soil and aquatic organisms
• Environmental fate of PEOPs in soil and aquatic ecosystems, including crops
• Environmental risk assessment related to PEOPs in soil and aquatic ecosystems
• Water treatment technologies to minimize or remove PEOPs from the aquatic environment

Dr. Sung-Eun Lee
Prof. Dr. Hokyong Shon
Prof. Dr. Sung-Deuk Choi
Dr. Joon-Kwan Moon
Guest Editors

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