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Environments
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Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment
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Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 August 2025 | Viewed by 2806

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Tilemachos K. Koliopoulos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Telegeco Research and Development, Department of Community Health & Public Health, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece
Interests: risk assessment; numerical modeling; monitoring schemes; environmental health; public health; health architecture; sustainable green tourism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Gregorio García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Agronomical Engineering Department, Technical University of Cartagena (UPCT), 30203 Cartagena, Spain
Interests: soil and environmental pollution; heavy metals; soil reclamation; phytoremediation; soil erosion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, environmental pollution risk assessment is in the process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating potential risks of pollution to the environment. This includes assessing the sources, pathways, and potential impacts of pollutants on air, water, soil, and ecosystems.

The goal of environmental pollution risk assessment is to determine the likelihood and severity of pollution incidents, as well as to identify strategies to prevent or mitigate them. This may involve conducting site assessments, monitoring pollutant levels, modeling pollution dispersion, and implementing pollution control measures.

Moreover, the key steps in the environmental pollution risk assessment process may include the following:

  1. Identification of potential pollution sources: This involves identifying sources of pollution such as industrial facilities, transportation systems, agriculture, and waste disposal sites.
  2. Characterization of pollutants: This involves identifying the types and quantities of pollutants being released into the environment, as well as their potential impacts on human health and the environment.
  3. Assessment of exposure pathways: This involves evaluating how pollutants can be transported, transformed, and ultimately reach receptors such as humans, wildlife, and ecosystems.
  4. Risk analysis: This involves quantifying the risks associated with pollution incidents, including the likelihood of occurrence and potential consequences.
  5. Risk mitigation: This involves developing strategies to prevent or reduce pollution risks, such as implementing pollution control technologies, improving waste management practices, and implementing emergency response plans.

Overall, environmental pollution risk assessment is a critical tool for managing pollution risks and protecting the environment and public health. By understanding and addressing potential pollution risks, decision makers can make more informed decisions to reduce environmental impacts and ensure sustainable development for stakeholders. Useful presentations on associated green designs are welcome, including literature reviews presenting useful outcomes for research scholars and stakeholders.

Dr. Tilemachos K. Koliopoulos
Dr. Gregorio García
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. 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

  • risk assessment
  • environmental health
  • environmental pollution
  • public health and environmental protection
  • green designs and environmental health architecture

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 464 KiB  
Article
The Development and Reliability Testing of a Tool to Assess Women’s Perceptions and Avoidance of Endocrine Disruptors in Personal and Household Products
by Adrianna Trifunovski, Nooshin Khobzi Rotondi, Jennifer Abbass-Dick, Rola Al Ghali and Caroline Barakat
Environments 2025, 12(5), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12050138 - 25 Apr 2025
Viewed by 113
Abstract
Personal care and household products (PCHPs) often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that pose health risks, especially for women. Women, frequent users of PCHPs, are exposed to approximately 168 chemicals daily. However, there are gaps in understanding women’s knowledge, risk perceptions, and beliefs regarding [...] Read more.
Personal care and household products (PCHPs) often contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that pose health risks, especially for women. Women, frequent users of PCHPs, are exposed to approximately 168 chemicals daily. However, there are gaps in understanding women’s knowledge, risk perceptions, and beliefs regarding these chemicals, as well as how these constructs influence their avoidance behavior. Existing questionnaires on EDCs in PCHPs lack reliability and comprehensiveness. Guided by the Health Belief Model, this study developed a self-administered questionnaire targeting four key constructs: knowledge, health risk perceptions, beliefs, and avoidance behaviors related to six EDCs commonly found in PCHPs (lead, parabens, Bisphenol A, phthalates, triclosan, and perchloroethylene). The questionnaire was distributed to 200 women at in-person events and online. The internal consistency of the constructs was tested using Cronbach’s alpha. The questionnaire included six items assessing knowledge, seven items on risk perceptions, five items on beliefs, and six items on avoidance behavior for each endocrine-disrupting chemical. Cronbach’s alpha values indicated strong reliability across all constructs. This newly developed questionnaire offers a reliable tool for assessing women’s knowledge, risk perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors toward EDCs in PCHPs. These findings could inform public health research and intervention strategies aimed at reducing women’s exposure to EDCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment)
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20 pages, 1683 KiB  
Article
Phenol, Cyanide, and Thiocyanate in Aquatic Media: The Ecotoxicity of Individual Substances and Their Mixtures
by Ana Tutić, Martina Miloloža, Matija Cvetnić, Šime Ukić and Dajana Kučić Grgić
Environments 2025, 12(4), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12040128 - 20 Apr 2025
Viewed by 87
Abstract
Although the coking industry is a major polluter, it is still an important and irreplaceable industry in many countries. Wastewater from the coking industry typically contains large amounts of various hazardous substances, including phenols, cyanides, and thiocyanates; we conducted a comprehensive study on [...] Read more.
Although the coking industry is a major polluter, it is still an important and irreplaceable industry in many countries. Wastewater from the coking industry typically contains large amounts of various hazardous substances, including phenols, cyanides, and thiocyanates; we conducted a comprehensive study on their ecotoxicity. This included five different toxicity tests with common species from different trophic levels: the bacteria Aliivibrio fischeri and Pseudomonas putida, the microalgae Chlorella sp., the duckweed Lemna minor, and the onion plant Allium cepa. These tests have rarely or never been used for these three toxicants. The results show that cyanide generally has the highest toxicity, while phenol has a relatively equal or higher toxicity than thiocyanate, depending on the test. Since no data on the joint toxic action of these three toxicants can be found in the literature, and although their joint occurrence in the aquatic environment is very likely, we performed joint toxic action analysis. The analysis was performed for binary and ternary mixtures of the toxicants using the Aliivibrio fischeri test. The concentration addition model was used as a reference model for the toxic behavior of these mixtures. The results obtained showed a synergistic deviation from the concentration addition model for combinations of phenol with cyanide and with thiocyanate, while the combination of cyanide and thiocyanate led to additive toxic behavior. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment)
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28 pages, 6220 KiB  
Article
Linking Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance Genes to Water Quality Parameters in Urban Reservoirs: A Seasonal Perspective
by Sihan Li, Raphinos Tackmore Murava, Qiyue Zhang, Tong Zhou, Armstrong Ighodalo Omoregie, Adharsh Rajasekar and Tariq Ouahbi
Environments 2025, 12(3), 96; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12030096 - 18 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 604
Abstract
The interaction between antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in freshwater ecosystems has become a critical environmental concern. This study investigates seasonal variations of sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics and their relationship with ARGs in three urban reservoirs in Nanjing, China: Pingshan Forest Park, [...] Read more.
The interaction between antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in freshwater ecosystems has become a critical environmental concern. This study investigates seasonal variations of sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics and their relationship with ARGs in three urban reservoirs in Nanjing, China: Pingshan Forest Park, Shanhu Lake Wetland Park, and Zhaoqiao Reservoir. Sampling was conducted in May and September 2023 to assess water quality, antibiotic concentrations, and ARG abundance. A total of 30 water samples were analyzed in regard to their physicochemical parameters, heavy metals, and antibiotics. A quantitative PCR assay was used to measure the ARG abundance relative to the 16S rRNA gene. Sulfonamide concentrations ranged from 30 to 120 ng/L, while the concentrations of tetracyclines were 50–160 ng/L. Notably, sulfamethazine decreased significantly in two reservoirs (Shanhu and Zhaoqiao, p < 0.05), while other antibiotics showed minimal variation, indicating persistent contamination from agricultural runoff and wastewater discharge. ARG abundance was lower in May than in September, with sulfonamide resistance genes being lower cumulatively than tetracycline resistance genes. Strong correlations (r > 0.7) were observed between ARGs and parameters like dissolved oxygen and pH. High antibiotic levels were observed in areas without nearby hospitals or pharmaceutical companies, implicating agriculture as a major pollution source. By analyzing sulfonamide and tetracycline antibiotics and their resistance genes across three eutrophic reservoirs in Nanjing, China, we highlight critical environmental drivers of ARG proliferation and propose targeted mitigation strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment)
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Review

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30 pages, 7187 KiB  
Review
Underlying Causes of Long-Term Environmental Pollution by Waste from an Abandoned Metal Mining District: When Legislative and Remediation Measures Are Ineffective
by Gregorio García and Guadalupe Rosique
Environments 2025, 12(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12010007 - 30 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1488
Abstract
Since ancient times, mining activities have been recognised as having a strong environmental impact. Due to the extraordinary amount of waste and impacts on the landscape, environmental concerns caused by mining can be found worldwide. The risks associated with mining waste are of [...] Read more.
Since ancient times, mining activities have been recognised as having a strong environmental impact. Due to the extraordinary amount of waste and impacts on the landscape, environmental concerns caused by mining can be found worldwide. The risks associated with mining waste are of great concern, especially when these residues come from metal mining and its associated potentially toxic elements that can be released into the environment. The reality of many of these metal mining areas is that, despite the extensive regulatory frameworks and remediation techniques applied, they continue to have high levels of contamination, posing a source of environmental and public health risk to their surroundings. The issues underlying this situation are details that can only be detected by experience in the management and thorough knowledge of the dynamics of these tailings in the long term. And in many cases, the key is in the details. For this purpose, the case of the former metal mining district of Cartagena-La Unión (SE Spain), one of the most affected areas in the European continent by these metal mining wastes, has been analyzed. In conclusion, it has been shown that the legal status of these waste and mining operations and the lack of control and effectiveness of rehabilitation activities are behind the worrying environmental situation of these areas. The interaction between the legal framework and the environmental and technical knowledge of these tailings and mining areas reveals practical issues beyond the scope of general analysis. This case study, conducted in the main Spanish metal mining area, concerns waste volume, and its findings offer the potential to improve the safety and environmental quality of metal mining regions elsewhere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Environmental Pollution Risk Assessment)
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