2nd Edition of Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food

Dear Colleagues,

Heavy and semi-metals are toxic to organisms at concentrations above the critical threshold; however, some of them at lower concentrations such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe) and selenium (Se) are essential for metabolic processes. In water, heavy metals are first absorbed by phytoplankton, bacteria, fungi and other small organisms, which later become fish food and finally enter the human body with the eaten fish. It is worth realizing how important the processes of bioaccumulation and biomagnification of heavy metals and their influence on food products are. Water and soil and their contamination are equally important. Contaminants occurring there penetrate plants, which are food for humans and animals. Consequently, they become a source of animal protein for humans. Water, soil, plants and animals can all contribute to the over-regulated supply of heavy metals. Rarely do we really pay attention to the place of origin of a product, and those who deal with this topic know how important it is. It is worth knowing the state of metal contamination of numerous food products from different parts of the world. It is important to know when particularly toxic metals may be present in the products you consume.

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) focuses on the current state of knowledge on the links risk of contaminating food with heavy metals and understanding their pathways along the food chain at the end of which human stands.

We would like to mention that there was also a First Edition, entitled “Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food”, that can be found on the IJERPH Editorial Office page at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph/special_issues/HMEC_F.

New research papers, reviews, case reports, and conference papers are welcome to this issue.

Here are some examples of topics that could be addressed in this Special Issue:

• Indices of food quality;
• Different heavy metals in food.;
• Human health risk assessment;
• Nanotoxicology;
• Food chain;
• Food safety. 

Dr. Joanna Łuczyńska
Dr. Marek Jan Łuczyński
Dr. Magdalena Senze
Dr. Monika Kowalska-Góralska
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. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 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 2500 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.

• indices of food quality
• different heavy metals in food
• human health risk assessment
• nanotoxicology
• food chain
• food safety

• Heavy Metal Environmental Contaminants in Food in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (8 articles)