Environmental Contamination by Toxic Metals and Metalloids, Exposure Limits, and Toxicity Thresholds
A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Exposome Analysis and Risk Assessment".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 September 2026 | Viewed by 1361
Special Issue Editor
Interests: the interplay of diet, nutrition, and genetics in response to cadmium exposure; PBPK modeling; reverse dosimetry; benchmark dose modeling; cadmium exposure limits; cadmium toxicity targets and thresholds
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous metal contaminant of most food types and is especially common in staple foods, including vegetables, cereals, grains, beans, legumes, organ meat, and sea foods. Thus, for the general population, food has become the most common route of Cd exposure. As the rice plant is a highly efficient accumulator of Cd and rice is a staple food for over 50% of the world’s population, there is widespread concern that the consumption of rice containing even low levels of Cd can have significant health effects. Even when the contamination level is low (less than the CODEX standard of 0.4 mg/kg), there is an increased risk of acquiring Itai-Itai disease, a condition marked by severe damage to the kidneys and bones. Polluted air is an additional source of Cd exposure and is a major concern in people living in busy urban areas, metal workers, and tobacco smokers.
Despite the indisputable health impacts of Cd exposure, there is no consensus on toxicity thresholds, which are necessary to establishing clear health-protective Cd exposure guidelines. Most countries adopt a urinary Cd excretion rate of 5.24 µg/g creatinine as a toxicity threshold for the kidneys in both environmental and occupational exposure scenarios. This threshold was based on urinary excretion of β2-microglobulin of 300 µg/g creatinine as a toxic endpoint. Given that 15% of the world’s arable soil is contaminated with toxic metals, primarily from the use of phosphate fertilizers to produce foods and feeds, it is imperative that the existing exposure limits for environmental contaminants and their toxicity thresholds and their permissible levels in foodstuffs and air are adequate. Moreover, the health risks of Cd in combination with lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), inorganic arsenic (As), and antimony (Sn) are frequently reported.
This Special Issue invites authors to submit cutting-edge research on exposure to and the health risks of environmental contaminants such as Cd, Pb, Hg, Cr, As and Sn throughout all stages of life, from prenatal exposure to older age. Both fundamental and empirical studies are welcome, as well as stakeholder and policy-relevant commentaries on potential reductions in population exposure and toxicity mitigation of metal pollution. Manuscripts focusing on the protective effects of zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), flavonoids, and plant antioxidants in vulnerable groups, including pregnant women and children, are particularly encouraged.
Prof. Dr. Soisungwan Satarug
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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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
- antioxidant flavonoids
- benchmark dose modeling
- cadmium toxicity
- food contaminants
- metals and metalloids
- plant foods and antioxidants
- tolerable intake level
- toxicity targets and thresholds
- toxicity mechanism
- toxicity mitigation
- selenium
- zinc
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