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Toxics
Special Issues
Aquatic Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants
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Aquatic 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: 31 October 2026 | Viewed by 4828

Editors

Dr. Yanbo Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
Interests: emerging contaminants; aquatic ecosystem; ecotoxicity; health risk assessment
Dr. Yuhan Fan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
State Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
Interests: emerging contaminants; exposome analysis and risk assessment; toxicity reduction and environmental remediation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Rapid global industrialization has saturated aquatic ecosystems with Emerging Contaminants (ECs). Substances including pharmaceuticals, PFAS, nanomaterials, and microplastic additives pose complex challenges. Conventional water treatment often fails to remove these pollutants, resulting in their accumulation and mixture in water bodies, which threatens biodiversity and ecosystem health.

To better understand these risks, research must advance beyond studies of acute toxicity. Critical gaps remain in areas such as non-monotonic dose responses, epigenetic effects, transgenerational inheritance, and the complex interactions between multiple stressors.

This Special Issue seeks novel research on the aquatic toxicity of ECs. We particularly encourage studies utilizing the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework to mechanistically link molecular initiating events to population-level impacts. Submissions integrating New Approach Methodologies, such as AI-based computational toxicology and multi-omics, are welcome to support mechanism-based risk assessment and reduce animal testing. Research on behavioral toxicology, the vector effect of microplastics, and toxicity evaluations under climate-altered scenarios is also highly desired.

Dr. Yanbo Ma
Guest Editor

Dr. Yuhan Fan
Guest Editor Assistant

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-anonymized 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
  • aquatic toxicology
  • adverse outcome pathway
  • computational toxicology
  • new approach methodologies
  • multi-omics
  • ecological risk assessment
  • climate change

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 877 KB  
Article
Evaluating and Refining PCB Mixture Indicators in Marine Fish Through Explainable Artificial Intelligence
by Vojin Ćućuz, Gordana Jovanović, Timea Bezdan, Snježana Herceg Romanić, Bosiljka Mustać, Andreja Stojić and Mirjana Perišić
Toxics 2026, 14(5), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14050393 - 2 May 2026
Viewed by 1441
Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain a major concern in marine ecosystems, where bioaccumulation in fish occurs as complex congener mixtures whose dynamics challenge conventional indicator approaches. This study develops and evaluates a data-driven framework for refining mixture-based indicators of PCB contamination by integrating ensemble [...] Read more.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) remain a major concern in marine ecosystems, where bioaccumulation in fish occurs as complex congener mixtures whose dynamics challenge conventional indicator approaches. This study develops and evaluates a data-driven framework for refining mixture-based indicators of PCB contamination by integrating ensemble machine learning with explainable artificial intelligence. Focusing on PCB-138 as a target indicator of cumulative PCB burden, we analyse concentrations of 24 organochlorines together with biological covariates in four Mediterranean edible pelagic fish species (sardine, anchovy, horse mackerel, and chub mackerel). Comparative evaluation of indicator performance shows that alternative congener combinations, including i4 PCBs (-138, -153, -170, -180), i6 PCBs (-138, -153, -170, -180, -118, -123), and mixtures incorporating DDD and DDE, more effectively represent total PCB burden than traditional indicator groups. Clustering identifies two distinct bioaccumulation settings, characterized by high-concentration coherent congener effects and low-concentration heterogeneous responses, demonstrating that indicator performance depends on concentration range and mixture context. The study illustrates how interpretable machine learning approaches can serve as formal tools for indicator evaluation and optimisation, strengthening long-term monitoring and management of legacy contaminants in marine ecosystems, particularly under conditions of persistent exposure and renewed inputs from sediment remobilization and riverine transport. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants)
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13 pages, 1023 KB  
Article
Optimized Zebrafish In Vitro Maturation with Real-Time Morphometric Workflow Reveals Inhibition by 1,2-Bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE)
by Tao Xu, Lihua Yang, Yindan Zhang, Huijia Tang, Yue Guo, Yanmin Guo, Mingpu Du, Ruiwen Li, Biran Zhu, Jian Han and Bingsheng Zhou
Toxics 2026, 14(5), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14050368 - 25 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1255
Abstract
Novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), including 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), are emerging endocrine-disrupting chemicals, though their direct effects on female gamete maturation remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we used a refined zebrafish oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) model integrating germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) assessment [...] Read more.
Novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs), including 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy)ethane (BTBPE), are emerging endocrine-disrupting chemicals, though their direct effects on female gamete maturation remain insufficiently characterized. In this study, we used a refined zebrafish oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) model integrating germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) assessment with real-time, image-based oocyte diameter quantification. The workflow incorporated donor-condition optimization and diameter-based quality control during sorting. Oocytes from donors 4 to 5 months post-fertilization (mpf) showed more consistent diameter dynamics at the dish level than those from donors 3 to 4 mpf. Mixed-sex co-housing was associated with higher GVBD and larger Δdiameter than separated housing, although this comparison should be considered preliminary. Under DHP induction, BTBPE (1–1000 nM) consistently suppressed GVBD and attenuated maturation-associated diameter increases, with a non-monotonic-like response pattern. These findings indicate that BTBPE impairs oocyte maturation competence in vitro and supports real-time morphometric tracking as a practical QC component for zebrafish IVM workflows. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants)
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Review

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30 pages, 2502 KB  
Review
Phthalate Esters in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Multiscale Threat from Molecular Disruption to Ecological Risks
by Zhicheng Sun, Marriya Sultan, Jian Han, Chunsheng Liu and Yanbo Ma
Toxics 2026, 14(2), 185; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14020185 - 23 Feb 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1614
Abstract
Phthalate esters (PAEs), ubiquitous plastic additives, have emerged as persistent contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, yet their propagation from molecular initiating events to ecosystem-level collapse remains poorly integrated. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the source-to-sink dynamics of PAEs, revealing a critical paradox in [...] Read more.
Phthalate esters (PAEs), ubiquitous plastic additives, have emerged as persistent contaminants in aquatic ecosystems, yet their propagation from molecular initiating events to ecosystem-level collapse remains poorly integrated. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the source-to-sink dynamics of PAEs, revealing a critical paradox in their bioaccumulation patterns: unlike classical persistent organic pollutants, high molecular weight PAEs exhibit distinct trophic dilution rather than biomagnification along food webs, driven by metabolic biotransformation in higher trophic organisms. Despite this dilution, PAEs trigger a bottom-up toxicity cascade. Driven by molecular initiating events, PAEs induce a range of adverse effects at the individual level, including immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, metabolic dysfunction, and trans-trophic oxidative stress. Crucially, prolonged exposure drives epigenetic reprogramming, which reduces reproductive output, thereby threatening long-term population recruitment. These individual and population deficits could escalate into higher ecological consequences, specifically by diminishing benthic biological control over phytoplankton, dampening energy transfer efficiency, and simplifying community structure, thereby posing a potential threat to primary productivity and aquatic ecosystem sustainability. Despite recent advances, critical knowledge gaps remain, particularly regarding their cascading impacts on ecosystem services, as well as synergistic interactions between PAEs and other contaminants. In order to validate laboratory results with actual ecological risk assessments, future research should incorporate multi-scale models and quantitative adverse outcome Pathways as well as their synergistic interactions between PAEs and other contaminants, and advanced in vitro systems such as organoids. Resolving these issues is essential to reducing the risks that PAEs pose to aquatic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Toxicity of Emerging Contaminants)
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