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Toxics
Special Issues
Emerging PFAS: Environmental Fate, Health Risks, and Innovative Remediation Approaches
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Emerging PFAS: Environmental Fate, Health Risks, and Innovative Remediation Approaches

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 1772

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Daochen Zhu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biofuels Institute, School of the Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Interests: biotechnology; environmental microbiology; emerging contaminants; PFAS; lignin bioconversion; bioremediation; synthetic biology; environmental engineering; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of emerging contaminants receiving global attention due to their extreme persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. Despite regulatory actions targeting long-chain PFAS, knowledge gaps remain regarding the fate, behavior, and remediation of short-chain and novel PFAS compounds.

This Special Issue focuses on the environmental distribution, toxicological impacts, detection, and remediation of emerging PFAS. It aims to highlight scientific advances in understanding PFAS transport, bioaccumulation, and ecological and human health risks, alongside engineering innovations for their removal or degradation.

We welcome original research and reviews covering:

  • Fate, transport, and environmental behavior of PFAS (including short-chain and ultra-short-chain compounds)
  • Toxicity mechanisms and health risk assessment of PFAS
  • Advanced analytical and monitoring techniques for PFAS detection
  • Physical, chemical, and biological treatment technologies
  • Hybrid and treatment train approaches
  • Bioremediation, phytoremediation, and microbial degradation strategies
  • Synthetic biology and enzyme engineering for PFAS degradation
  • Case studies on real-world PFAS contamination and remediation

This Special Issue aims to provide a multidisciplinary platform for researchers, engineers, and policymakers to share insights and develop sustainable solutions for PFAS pollution control.

Prof. Dr. Daochen Zhu
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 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

  • PFAS
  • environmental fate
  • bioaccumulation
  • health risk assessment
  • analytical methods
  • advanced oxidation
  • bioremediation
  • phytoremediation
  • enzyme engineering
  • defluorination

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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, 1704 KB  
Article
PFAS in Peri-Urban Agricultural Water: Assessing the Hazard Index in an Organic Farming Environment in Maryland, USA
by Candice M. Duncan, Fatemeh Ghezelsofla, Hlengilizwe Nyoni, Jazmin I. Escobar and Odette Mina
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 245; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030245 - 11 Mar 2026
Viewed by 706
Abstract
Global efforts to quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in irrigation water sources have substantially advanced understanding of their potential impacts on human health. The proposed Hazard Index (HI) tool can be used to assess the health risks of PFAS chemical mixtures. To [...] Read more.
Global efforts to quantify per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in irrigation water sources have substantially advanced understanding of their potential impacts on human health. The proposed Hazard Index (HI) tool can be used to assess the health risks of PFAS chemical mixtures. To address potential health impacts, irrigation water samples were collected from two organic farms and analyzed to quantify PFAS under non-ideal agricultural conditions with no known direct PFAS input. Results show perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) (37 ng/L), perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA) (24 ng/L), and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) (22 ng/L) as the most abundant PFAS compounds at agricultural site 1 (AG1). The HI indicates compliance with perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)_branched (0.39) and non-compliance with PFHxS_linear (1.51) when calculated at AG1. Additional results show the presence of hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (HFPO-DA; GenX; 28 ng/L) at agricultural site 2 (AG2), where no known industrial activity, PFAS-containing compounds (e.g., pesticides) are distributed, or PFAS-related manufacturing facilities exist in the area of influence. The HI indicates non-compliance at AG2 (HI = 2.83) for AG2, with GenX contributing much of the calculated risk. These findings suggest the HI may serve as a useful water health indicator for small sites exhibiting very low PFAS concentrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging PFAS: Environmental Fate, Health Risks, and Innovative Remediation Approaches)
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16 pages, 811 KB  
Article
SARS-CoV-2 Anti-Spike IgG Subclass Titres in a Population with Prior Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
by Mihai Zamfir, Doris Gerstner, Heidi Lahne, Volker Fingerle, Johannes Redwitz, Wolfgang Schober, Bettina Aschenbrenner, Matthias Graw, Dennis Nowak, Caroline Quartucci, Caroline Herr and Stefanie Heinze
Toxics 2026, 14(3), 192; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14030192 - 25 Feb 2026
Viewed by 584
Abstract
The role of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on antibody titres following vaccination in adults is not heterogeneous. High levels of anti-spike IgG have been reported following mRNA-based vaccinations. This study aimed to explore the association between PFOA exposure and exposure to SARS-CoV-2 antigen on [...] Read more.
The role of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on antibody titres following vaccination in adults is not heterogeneous. High levels of anti-spike IgG have been reported following mRNA-based vaccinations. This study aimed to explore the association between PFOA exposure and exposure to SARS-CoV-2 antigen on SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike antibodies, particularly on the IgG subclasses in adult residents with increased internal PFOA exposure due to past PFOA drinking water contamination. A self-administered questionnaire was completed, and vaccination data was checked against the vaccination passport. PFOA concentration and IgG subclass titres were analysed in serum. Most study participants had three vaccinations (518; 78.6%). IgG was dominated by IgG4, a subclass that is largely unable to activate effector responses, for 8.3% of the participants, and only in the group of participants with three vaccinations. A generalised linear model was used to assess the relationship between PFOA serum concentration and IgG subclasses. After adjusting for age, a significant positive association was found between the number of vaccinations, self-reported infections and higher IgG subclasses concentrations. Age and PFOA concentration did not show a significant association with the concentration of any IgG subclass. Thus, the internal PFOA exposure was not associated with impaired immune response with regard to anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 IgG. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging PFAS: Environmental Fate, Health Risks, and Innovative Remediation Approaches)
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