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Environments
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Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments
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Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments

A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 5490

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Chien-Sen Liao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Department of Medical Science & Biotechnology, College of Medical Science and Technology, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 82445, Taiwan
Interests: environmental microbiology; environmental toxicology; bioremediation; proteomics; microalgae application
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I extend a sincere invitation for your contribution to our Special Issue, titled "Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments". The sustainability and ecological balance of aquatic environments are facing increasing threats. This Special Issue aims to explore and evaluate the potential risks posed by multidrug-resistant organisms, emerging contaminants, environmental hormones, heavy metals, antibiotics, biotoxins, etc., to aquatic ecosystems.

In recent years, factors such as multidrug-resistant organisms, emerging contaminants, and environmental hormones have become pivotal issues in aquatic environments, posing potential hazards to aquatic organisms. Substances like heavy metals, antibiotics, and biotoxins also impact aquatic ecosystems to varying degrees. Therefore, through this Special Issue, we aim to delve into these potential hazards, conducting risk assessments to ensure the health and sustainable development of aquatic environments.

The Special Issue covers various aspects, including microbial ecology, detection, and management of emerging contaminants, impact of environmental hormones, monitoring of heavy metal pollution, risks associated with antibiotic resistance, ecological effects of biotoxins, etc. We invite you to submit your latest research in these areas, collectively advancing our understanding of the risks in aquatic environments.

The scope of this Special Issue is not limited to natural water bodies but also extends to aquaculture systems, exploring the ecology of microorganisms, algae, and their applications in aquaculture. Additionally, the Special Issue will emphasize the feasibility of bioremediation technologies in aquatic environments, involving the application of microorganisms, microalgae, and other biological agents.

We look forward to receiving your valuable submissions, contributing to the ongoing development of the field of environmental risk assessment in aquatic environments. Kindly submit your research findings before the deadline. Thank you for your support of this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Chien-Sen Liao
Guest Editor

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. Environments 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 1800 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

  • multidrug-resistant organisms
  • emerging contaminants
  • environmental hormones
  • antibiotic
  • biotoxins
  • desalination and wastewater treatment
  • aquatic organisms
  • aquaculture
  • bioremediation
  • microalgae
  • microbial ecology

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 877 KiB  
Article
Low Concentrations of Ibuprofen Had No Adverse Effects on Deleatidium spp. Mayfly Nymphs: A 7-Day Experiment
by Niña Sarah P. Batucan, Louis A. Tremblay, Grant L. Northcott and Christoph D. Matthaei
Environments 2025, 12(4), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12040102 - 27 Mar 2025
Viewed by 242
Abstract
Concerns over pharmaceutical contaminants are increasing due to their high biological activity and ubiquity, with wastewater being the main source. Ibuprofen is extensively used worldwide and commonly detected in freshwaters due to its low degradability during wastewater treatment. Daphnia magna is the most-used [...] Read more.
Concerns over pharmaceutical contaminants are increasing due to their high biological activity and ubiquity, with wastewater being the main source. Ibuprofen is extensively used worldwide and commonly detected in freshwaters due to its low degradability during wastewater treatment. Daphnia magna is the most-used model taxon for toxicity testing of ibuprofen, but this crustacean is known to be less sensitive to some contaminants than several freshwater insect groups. Our study assessed the toxicity of ibuprofen (nominal concentration range 2.0–2147.5 µg/L) to a native New Zealand mayfly, Deleatidium spp., in a 7-day static renewal experiment, with the neonicotinoid imidacloprid (1.4 µg/L) as a reference toxicant. Test concentrations of ibuprofen included three field-realistic and four higher concentrations that might occur in severely polluted streams. Mayfly responses indicated some negative trends (decreased survival and moulting propensity, increased impairment and immobility), but all patterns were non-significant. The imidacloprid control also had no significant impacts but tended to increase mayfly impairment. Overall, Deleatidium nymphs were largely unaffected by the entire range of experimental ibuprofen concentrations, suggesting that ibuprofen may be a relatively benign stressor for these organisms, although longer-term exposure experiments are needed to confirm if they demonstrate susceptibility to chronic exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
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12 pages, 2499 KiB  
Article
Heavy Metal Toxicity on Daphnia magna
by Paula Cojocaru, Maria-Cătălina Pastia, Gabriela Biali and Cristian Cojocaru
Environments 2025, 12(3), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12030070 - 24 Feb 2025
Viewed by 664
Abstract
This study analyzes the acute toxicity of Zn2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ on water fleas. The hatching rate of D. magna ephippia was monitored under the influence of the pollutant at concentrations of 0.1 mg/L, 0.2 mg/L, 0.3 mg/L, [...] Read more.
This study analyzes the acute toxicity of Zn2+, Cd2+, and Cu2+ on water fleas. The hatching rate of D. magna ephippia was monitored under the influence of the pollutant at concentrations of 0.1 mg/L, 0.2 mg/L, 0.3 mg/L, 0.4 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L, and 1.0 mg/L over an exposure period of 42 h−67 h. The mortality rate of newborns was determined comparing with the control sample at 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h, as well as with the lethal concentration 50% (LC50). The results showed that Zn2+ appears to be less toxic to D. magna compared to Cd2+ and Cu2+, even at high concentrations, suggesting a greater tolerance of the ephippia to this metal. Newborn mortality increased significantly with higher concentrations and longer exposure times, with Cd2+ causing mortality rates of up to 100% after 48 h. In contrast, Zn2+ exhibited lower toxicity, although mortality increased with high concentrations and extended exposure periods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
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13 pages, 1637 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Fish and Seafood Consumption in the Adult Population of an Italian Coastal Region and Health Risk Perception from Exposure to Methylmercury
by Anna Maria Spagnolo, Cristiana Maurella, Marina Sartini and Elena Bozzetta
Environments 2025, 12(2), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12020066 - 17 Feb 2025
Viewed by 457
Abstract
Fish is a nutrient-rich food important for the well-being of all age groups. However, through fish ingestion, organisms are also exposed to various contaminants such as mercury, which can be biomagnified to reach the highest levels of concentration in predatory fishes. The aim [...] Read more.
Fish is a nutrient-rich food important for the well-being of all age groups. However, through fish ingestion, organisms are also exposed to various contaminants such as mercury, which can be biomagnified to reach the highest levels of concentration in predatory fishes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the consumption of fish and seafood products in the population of an Italian coastal region and to investigate the perception of risk by consumers. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered for this purpose. Regarding the habit of eating fish and seafood products, 92% of the interviewees reported consuming these regularly. Fresh, frozen, and canned products were eaten one to three times a week by 55.0%, 52.1%, and 65.6% of participants, respectively. Swordfish and tuna, species at high risk of methylmercury contamination, were consumed one or more times a month by 79.5% of respondents. Only 37.4% showed awareness of the possible health risk, with 81% citing chemical causes (e.g., methylmercury). Combined actions are needed to contain the risk of exposure to contaminants, such as mercury, through the ingestion of fish and seafood products, including greater consumer information on species to be limited, fisheries monitoring, and controls on contaminant emissions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
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11 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
Electric Field-Based Ozone Nanobubbles in Tandem with Reduced Ultraviolet Light Exposure for Water Purification and Treatment: Aquaculture and Beyond
by Niall J. English
Environments 2024, 11(12), 292; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11120292 - 18 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1295
Abstract
Micro- and nanobubbles are tiny gas bubbles that are smaller than 100 μm and 1 μm, respectively. This study investigated the impact of electric field ozone nanobubbles (EF-ONBs) on the purification of both deionised and aquaculture water bodies, finding that heightened reactive oxygen [...] Read more.
Micro- and nanobubbles are tiny gas bubbles that are smaller than 100 μm and 1 μm, respectively. This study investigated the impact of electric field ozone nanobubbles (EF-ONBs) on the purification of both deionised and aquaculture water bodies, finding that heightened reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and oxygen reduction potential (ORP) are correlated to a higher production of EF-ONBs. In particular, it was found that there were substantially reduced ultraviolet light requirements for aquaculture when using EF-ONBs to maintain aquaculture purification standards. It is clear that the approximately exponential decay is slowed down by almost ten times by EF-ONBs even without UV applied, and that it is still roughly six times longer than the ‘control’ case of standard O3 sparging in water (i.e., meso- and macro-bubbles with no meaningful level of dispersed-phase, bubble-mediated dissolution beyond the standard Henry’s law state—owing mostly to rapid Stokes’ law rising speeds). This has very positive implications for, inter alia, recirculation aeration systems featuring an ozonation cycle, as well as indoor agriculture under controlled-light environments and malting, where ozonation cycles are also often used or contemplated in process redesign strategies. Such promising results for EF-ONBs offer, inter alia, more sustainable aquaculture, water sterilisation, indoor farming, and malting. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
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16 pages, 3733 KiB  
Article
Chemical Characteristics of Zirconium Chloride and Zirconium Oxide Nanoparticles Driving Toxicity on Lemna minor
by Mohamadou Diallo and David Dewez
Environments 2024, 11(10), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments11100222 - 12 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1903
Abstract
The increasing global production and utilization of zirconium (Zr) compounds, including zirconium chloride (ZrCl4) and zirconium oxide nanoparticles (NPs-ZrO2), raises concerns about their potential environmental impact. This study investigated the toxicity mechanisms of ZrCl4 and NPs-ZrO2 on [...] Read more.
The increasing global production and utilization of zirconium (Zr) compounds, including zirconium chloride (ZrCl4) and zirconium oxide nanoparticles (NPs-ZrO2), raises concerns about their potential environmental impact. This study investigated the toxicity mechanisms of ZrCl4 and NPs-ZrO2 on the aquatic plant Lemna minor. The physicochemical properties of NPs-ZrO2 in the test medium were characterized, revealing concentration-dependent changes in the hydrodynamic diameter, zeta potential, and solubility over time. The analysis of Zr speciation showed the predominance of Zr(OH)4(aq) species from ZrCl4. Plants of L. minor exposed to ZrCl4 and NPs-ZrO2 exhibited differential Zr bioaccumulation, growth inhibition, oxidative stress, and antioxidant responses. ZrCl4 induced a higher toxicity than NPs-ZrO2, with bioaccumulation strongly correlating with adverse effects. The differential toxicity impact between these two Zr-compounds was also determined by the lowest observed-effect doses for growth and biochemical parameters. The scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy confirmed internalization of NPs-ZrO2 and Zr uptake in the L. minor plant. Therefore, these findings highlighted the importance of chemical speciation, environmental transformations, and biological responses in assessing the ecological impact of Zr-compounds for effective risk assessment and management strategies for protecting aquatic ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Risk Assessment of Aquatic Environments)
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