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Toxics
Special Issues
Health Risks and Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants
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Health Risks and Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Emerging Contaminants".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 27 February 2026 | Viewed by 3401

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lihua Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Maternal and Child Nursing, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Interests: emerging contaminants; environmental pollution; air pollution; micro-nano plastics; health risk assessment; early life health management; reproductive health
Prof. Dr. Huicai Guo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China
Interests: emerging contaminants; PFAS; cardiovascular toxicity; atherosclerosis; hepatotoxicity; neurotoxicity
Prof. Dr. Minjian Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
Interests: metabolomics; exposomics; reproductive and developmental health; exposure science; toxicology; mechanism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Emerging contaminants (ECs), including pharmaceuticals, personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), microplastics, and plastic additives, are now ubiquitously detected in the environment and human tissues. Due to their persistence, high biological activity, and resistance to conventional treatment, ECs can trigger oxidative stress, immunotoxicity, and metabolic disorders even at trace concentrations. Nevertheless, systematic data on exposure pathways, underlying toxicological mechanisms, and long-term health outcomes remain scarce, impeding evidence-based risk management and policy formulation.

This Special Issue focuses on the toxicological impacts, detection, health risks, and remediation of ECs. It aims to highlight scientific advances in understanding the bioaccumulation and human health risks of ECs.

We welcome original research and reviews on a broad range of topics, including but not limited to the following:

  • Cellular and molecular mechanisms and health risk assessment of ECs;
  • Advanced analytical and monitoring techniques for EC detection;
  • Bioremediation strategies;
  • Intergenerational toxicity of ECs;
  • Innovative technologies (high-resolution mass spectrometry, multi-omics, machine learning, etc.) for elucidating exposure–effect relationships.

This Special Issue aims to provide an interdisciplinary platform for researchers to share insights and develop sustainable solutions for EC pollution control.

Dr. Lihua Ren
Prof. Dr. Huicai Guo
Prof. Dr. Minjian Chen
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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. Toxics 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 2600 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

  • emerging contaminants
  • health risk assessment
  • human exposure assessment
  • toxicological mechanisms
  • bioremediation strategies
  • intergenerational toxicity
  • short-term and long-term toxicity

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

Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 2240 KB  
Article
Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis and Toxic Metabolite Pathways Linked to Childhood Obesity in Eastern China
by Ruijing Zhou, Mengyuan Zhu and Minjian Chen
Toxics 2025, 13(11), 929; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13110929 - 30 Oct 2025
Viewed by 621
Abstract
Childhood obesity is a newly emerging public health and an emerging concern in environmental health in rapidly urbanized areas of China. This preliminary study investigated the gut microbiome composition and toxic metabolite pathways of school-aged children in Nanjing. Using 16S rRNA sequencing and [...] Read more.
Childhood obesity is a newly emerging public health and an emerging concern in environmental health in rapidly urbanized areas of China. This preliminary study investigated the gut microbiome composition and toxic metabolite pathways of school-aged children in Nanjing. Using 16S rRNA sequencing and PICRUSt2-based functional predictions, we observed significant microbial structural changes between the normal weight group and the overweight/obese group, although α diversity was similar. Overweight and obese children exhibited a markedly higher Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio as well as an enrichment of genera such as Subdoligranulum, Ruminococcus, and Lachnospira, indicating increased energy harvesting and inflammation. Functionally, the downregulation of tryptophan metabolism in obese children suggests a reduction in anti-inflammatory indole and an increase in the production of pro-inflammatory kynurenine. In contrast, the upregulation of thiamine metabolism may be linked to enhanced carbohydrate utilization and lipid biosynthetic activity. Our toxicology network analysis and molecular docking experiments suggest that AhR and thiamine-related metabolic enzymes are targets of tryptophan and thiamine metabolism, respectively, and that PPARG is also a potential molecular target mediating thiamine metabolism in childhood obesity. These findings highlight the environment–microbiome–host axis as a potential pathway for metabolic toxicity in childhood obesity. Further studies are needed to validate these toxicological mechanisms and identify microbial biomarkers for early intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risks and Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants)
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Review

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22 pages, 1371 KB  
Review
Environmental and Human Health Risks of 6PPD and 6PPDQ: Assessment and Implications
by Sainan Zhang, Jiayue Tang, Zhiying Qiu, Xia Huo, Dongling Liu and Xiang Zeng
Toxics 2025, 13(10), 873; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics13100873 - 14 Oct 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2394
Abstract
This review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the environmental contaminants N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its quinone derivative (6PPDQ) derived from tire wear particles (TWPs), focusing on their environmental distribution, transformation, human exposure pathways, toxicological effects, and health risks to ecological and human health. [...] Read more.
This review aims to synthesize current knowledge on the environmental contaminants N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) and its quinone derivative (6PPDQ) derived from tire wear particles (TWPs), focusing on their environmental distribution, transformation, human exposure pathways, toxicological effects, and health risks to ecological and human health. A comprehensive literature review was conducted, compiling and analyzing data from environmental monitoring studies, toxicological assessments on aquatic and mammalian models, and emerging human biomonitoring research. Key findings on concentrations, toxicological endpoints (e.g., LC50, oxidative stress, genotoxicity), and exposure pathways were evaluated. 6PPD and its transformation product 6PPDQ are ubiquitous environmental pollutants found in air, water, soil, sediment, and dust. 6PPDQ is notably highly toxic to aquatic organisms, with an acute LC50 of 790 ng/L for coho salmon. Human exposure to these compounds occurs through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, and their presence has been confirmed in human matrices including blood, urine, and cerebrospinal fluid. Toxicological studies, primarily on model organisms, indicate that 6PPD and 6PPDQ can induce oxidative stress, cause DNA damage, and disrupt metabolic and neurological functions. Adverse outcomes such as intestinal toxicity, reproductive impairment, neurobehavioral changes, and potential carcinogenicity have been observed. However, direct evidence of their health impacts on humans remains limited. 6PPD and 6PPDQ pose significant and widespread ecological risks, with 6PPDQ representing a particularly potent aquatic toxicant. While human exposure is confirmed, the full scope of human health implications is not yet well understood. The review highlights the need for longitudinal environmental tracking, mechanistic studies, and refined exposure models to inform regulatory actions and mitigate risks. Addressing these challenges is essential to mitigate the ecological and health burdens posed by 6PPD and 6PPDQ. This study underscores the global societal importance of addressing 6PPD-related pollution—a pervasive and transboundary environmental challenge stemming from universal tire wear. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Risks and Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants)
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