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Exposure and Toxicity of Environmental Chemicals

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Toxicology and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 10532

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mizukawa Hazuki

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Guest Editor

Laboratory of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Department of Science and Technology for Biological Resources and Environment, Graduate School of Agriculture, Ehime University, Tarumi 3-5-7, Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan
Interests: organohalogen compounds; endocrine disruptors; pet animals; indoor environment; environmental toxicity; exposome

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Increased population growth combined with expanded science development and global technologies has caused elevated requirements in terms of food, medicines, clothes, and living conditions. Anthropogenic activities, such as waste emission from industrial locations, chemical spraying from farmers, antibiotic mixing in animal feed, oil leaking from fishing boats, etc., cause environments that are filled with the air, water, and soil pollutants.

On a daily basis, we are unavoidably exposed to several chemicals and toxic agents, including drugs and residues, hormones, mycotoxins, pesticides, organohalogen compounds, heavy metals, etc. Although most of these substances are used by humans for medical treatments or in industrial/daily life activities, the continuous and excessive use of these xenobiotics without regulation and awareness can lead to contamination, with consequences for the environment, animals, and, particularly, for humans.

The persistence, toxicity, and bioaccumulation characteristics of contaminants have an impact on both acute and chronic multi-organ systems of animals. Toxic substances not only adversely affect animal and human health but also the quantity and quality of food chains and ecosystems. Consequently, toxicology studies on these toxic substances are required to correctly understand the exposure, to answer the unknown mechanisms of action, and to eventually emphasize environmental safety. Environmental pollution and chemical substance pollution problems (referred to as chemical hazards) are urgent issues that need to be solved on a global scale, and efforts from various fields are necessary.

This Special Issue welcomes original papers that report exposure and toxicity studies on hazardous contaminants. In particular, studies that assess toxic effects and the elucidation of global/local contamination of micro contaminants are highly encouraged.

Dr. Mizukawa Hazuki
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. 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.

Keywords

Environmental chemicals
Toxicology
Endocrine disruption
Monitoring
Thyroid disease
Risk assessment
Omics
Metabolisms
Molecular mechanism

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1741 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dredging Activities Carried Out in a Brazilian Estuary Affect Mercury Levels in Swimming Crabs

by Paloma de Almeida Rodrigues, Rafaela Gomes Ferrari, Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis, Luciano Neves dos Santos and Carlos Adam Conte-Junior

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4396; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124396 - 18 Jun 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2108

Abstract

(1) Although suffers from intense pollution inputs, Guanabara Bay, the most socioeconomically and environmentally important estuary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is still home to a diverse fauna, including several fish and crab species consumed by humans. The bay presents high sedimentation rates and sediment contamination, further aggravated by dredging processes carried out in recent years. In this context, this study aimed to verify the effect of the dredging process on total mercury (THg) concentrations at Guanabara Bay through swimming crab assessments sampled before (2016), during (2017), and after (2018) the dredging process, and mainly, if the detected concentrations can be harmful to consumer health; (2) Methods: Swimming crab samplings were carried out at the same time and sampling points in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and the total Hg was determined using a Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA-80, Milestone, Bergamo, Italy); (3) Results: Increased Hg concentrations were observed during the dredging process, decreasing to lower values, close to the initial concentrations, at the end of the process. Some of the investigated abiotic factors favor Hg dynamics in the aquatic environment, while others were positively altered at some of the assessed sampling areas at the end of the dredging process; (4) Conclusions: Although crab Hg levels were below maximum permissible limits for human consumption, it is important to note that these animals are significantly consumed around Guanabara Bay, which may lead to public health issues in the long term. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exposure and Toxicity of Environmental Chemicals)

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11 pages, 1723 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles on the Growth of Rice (Oryza Sativa L.) Seedlings and the Relevant Physiological Responses

by Zhongzhou Yang, Yifan Xiao, Tongtong Jiao, Yang Zhang, Jing Chen and Ying Gao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(4), 1260; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041260 - 15 Feb 2020

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 4539

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.), a major staple food for billions of people, was assessed for its phytotoxicity of copper oxide nanoparticle (CuO NPs, size < 50 nm). Under hydroponic condition, seven days of exposure to 62.5, 125, and 250 mg/L CuO NPs significantly suppressed the growth rate of rice seedlings compared to both the control and the treatment of supernatant from 250 mg/L CuO NP suspensions. In addition, physiological indexes associated with antioxidants, including membrane damage and antioxidant enzyme activity, were also detected. Treatment with 250 mg/L CuO NPs significantly increased malondialdehyde (MDA) content and electrical conductivity of rice shoots by 83.4% and 67.0%, respectively. The activity of both catalase and superoxide dismutase decreased in rice leaves treated with CuO NPs at the concentration of 250 mg/L, while the activity of the superoxide dismutase significantly increased by 1.66 times in rice roots exposed to 125 mg/L CuO NPs. The chlorophyll, including chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, and carotenoid content in rice leaves decreased with CuO NP exposure. Finally, to explain potential molecular mechanisms of chlorophyll variations, the expression of four related genes, namely, Magnesium chelatase D subunit, Chlorophyll synthase, Magnesium-protoporphyrin IX methyltransferase, and Chlorophyllide a oxygenase, were quantified by qRT-PCR. Overall, CuO NPs, especially at 250 mg/L concentration, could affect the growth and development of rice seedlings, probably through oxidative damage and disturbance of chlorophyll and carotenoid synthesis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exposure and Toxicity of Environmental Chemicals)

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Review

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14 pages, 1655 KiB

Open AccessReview

Occupational Lead Exposure and Brain Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

by Joonho Ahn, Mi Yeon Park, Mo-Yeol Kang, In-Soo Shin, Sungjae An and Hyoung-Ryoul Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 3975; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113975 - 03 Jun 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3399

Abstract

(1) Background: Due to inconsistencies in epidemiological findings, there has been uncertainty regarding the association of lead compounds with brain tumors. We performed a meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies exploring lead compound exposure and brain tumor risk. (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase^®, and Cochrane to find eligible studies. Eighteen studies were selected for assessment of occupational exposure to lead compound and brain tumor. Pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using random effects models. We assessed the differences through subgroup analysis according to tumor type, study design, measurements of exposure, and tumor outcome. Statistical tests for publication bias, heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis were applied. (3) Results: Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed a not significant association with lead exposure and risk of benign and malignant brain tumors (pooled OR = 1.11, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.95–1.29). Including only malignant brain tumors, the risk of brain tumor was significantly increased (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04–1.24). (4) Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides suggestive evidence for an association between lead compound exposure and brain tumor. In future studies, it will be necessary to identify the effect of lead compounds according to the types of brain tumor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exposure and Toxicity of Environmental Chemicals)

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