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Toxics
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Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment
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Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (9 February 2024) | Viewed by 10188

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Paolo Montuori

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
Interests: environmental pollution; epidemiology; toxicology; public health; hygiene and safety
Dr. Elvira De Rosa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Interests: public health; infections; control of healthcare-associated infections; prevention; health problem; risks; healthcare systems; environmental hygiene; environmental contamination; safety
Dr. Fabiana Di Duca

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80131, Italy
Interests: public Health; infections; control of healthcare-associated infections; prevention; health problem; risks; healthcare systems; environmental hygiene; environmental contamination; safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Water is a very important natural resource for human needs, especially regarding health. Water pollution is a serious problem and a major global environmental concern. Contaminants enter an aquatic setting  through anthropogenic activities such as sewage sludge disposal, the application of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, industrial activities and increasing urbanization. These contaminants are non-biodegradable in the environment, and all contaminants are potentially bioavailable and consequentially toxic to the biota and human health. In aquatic systems, potentially toxic contaminants are transported in dissolved or particulate form, where sediment and suspended particles play important roles in contaminant adsorption, desorption and dissolution, and sedimentation processes. Thus, the assessment of pollution in water environments is a determinant, as these areas could receive considerable amounts of pollutant inputs from antropogenic activities. Several emerging pollutants are being detected in the water environment; therefore, the environmental monitoring of pollutants is an essential topic for understanding the impact of certain human activities and defining their consequences for the environmental and human health.

We are pleased to invite you to submit to this Special Issue “Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment”, with the aim of improving the knowledge on this topic and to enrich public understanding of the pollution of the aquatic environment.

For this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology. We also encourage manuscripts that propose new models and statistical techniques to assess the origin of river pollution, as well as unconventional approaches to gauging the ecological risk.

Prof. Dr. Paolo Montuori
Dr. Elvira De Rosa
Dr. Fabiana Di Duca
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 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. 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

  • water pollution
  • risk assessment
  • public health
  • ecological risk
  • emerging contaminants
  • environmental health
  • hygiene and safety

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1244 KiB  
Article
Heavy Metals in Vegetables: Screening Health Risks of Irrigation with Wastewater in Peri-Urban Areas of Bhakkar, Pakistan
by Mehak Nawaz Khan, Muhammad Anis Aslam, Abdullatif Bin Muhsinah and Jalal Uddin
Toxics 2023, 11(5), 460; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11050460 - 16 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1875
Abstract
One of the key concerns in public health is food security in the food sector. Due to the large amounts of potentially hazardous metals in wastewater, this practice may pose serious environmental and health risks to neighboring residents. In this study, the health [...] Read more.
One of the key concerns in public health is food security in the food sector. Due to the large amounts of potentially hazardous metals in wastewater, this practice may pose serious environmental and health risks to neighboring residents. In this study, the health effects of heavy metals in vegetables irrigated with wastewater were studied. The findings indicated a massive accumulation of heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated soil and vegetables collected from Bhakkar, Pakistan. The current study looked at the effects of wastewater irrigation on metal buildup in the soil–plant continuum and the health hazards that come with it (Cd, Co, Ni, Mn, Pb, and Fe). Heavy metal concentrations in vegetables cultivated on soil irrigated with untreated wastewater were not significantly lower (p ≥ 0.05) than in vegetables grown on wastewater-irrigated soil and were below the World Health Organization’s recommended limits. A considerable amount of the selected hazardous metals was also swallowed by adults and children who consumed these vegetables, according to the research. On soil that had received wastewater irrigation, Ni and Mn were substantially different at p ≥ 0.001 levels. Pb, Ni, and Cd had health risk scores higher than the ones in all ingested vegetables, while Mn had a health risk score greater than the ones in turnips, carrots, and lettuce. The results also showed that both adults and children who consumed these vegetables absorbed a significant amount of the chosen toxic metals. Pb and Cd were shown to be the most dangerous chemical compounds to human health, and everyday consumption of agricultural plants irrigated with wastewater may pose a health risk, according to the health risk criteria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment)
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16 pages, 2530 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Chromium (VI) Adsorption onto Waste Pomegranate-Peel-Derived Biochar for Wastewater Treatment: Performance and Mechanism
by Yingzhou Chen, Jinyan Yang and Adil Abbas
Toxics 2023, 11(5), 440; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics11050440 - 07 May 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1624
Abstract
Surface chemical modification allows for the rational construction of biochar with desirable structures and functionalities for environment purification. Fruit-peel-derived adsorbing material has been well studied in the adsorption of heavy-metal removal due to its abundance and non-toxicity, but its precise mechanism in removing [...] Read more.
Surface chemical modification allows for the rational construction of biochar with desirable structures and functionalities for environment purification. Fruit-peel-derived adsorbing material has been well studied in the adsorption of heavy-metal removal due to its abundance and non-toxicity, but its precise mechanism in removing chromium-containing pollutants remains unclear. Herein, we explored the potential application of engineered biochar prepared from fruit waste via chemical modification to remove chromium (Cr) from an aqueous solution. By synthesizing two types of agricultural residue-derived adsorbents, including pomegranate peel adsorbent (PG) and its modified product, pomegranate-peel-derived biochar (PG-B), via chemical and thermal decomposition methods, we elucidated the adsorption property of Cr(VI) on the studied materials and identified the cation retention mechanism of the adsorption process. Batch experiments and varied characterizations demonstrated that superior activity was exhibited in PG-B, which can contribute to the porous surfaces caused by pyrolysis and effective active sites resulting from alkalization. The highest Cr(VI) adsorption capacity is obtained at pH 4, a dosage of 6.25 g L−1, and a contact time of 30 min. The maximum adsorption efficiency of 90.50% in a short period (30 min) was obtained on PG-B, while PG reached a removal performance of 78.01% at 60 min. The results from kinetic and isotherm models suggested that monolayer chemisorption dominated the adsorption process. The Langmuir maximum adsorption capacity is 16.23 mg g−1. This study shortened the adsorption equilibrium time of pomegranate-based biosorbents and presents positive significance in designing and optimizing waste fruit-peel-derived adsorption materials for water purification. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment)
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12 pages, 1588 KiB  
Article
The Migration Pattern of Atrazine during the Processes of Water Freezing and Thawing
by Yan Zhang, Chen Zhao, Aixin Yu, Wanli Zhao, Fangyun Ren and Yucan Liu
Toxics 2022, 10(10), 603; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10100603 - 12 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2586
Abstract
Atrazine, one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world, is of concern because of its frequent occurrence in various water bodies and the potential threat it constitutes to ecosystems. The transport of contaminants in seasonally ice-covered lakes is an important factor [...] Read more.
Atrazine, one of the most commonly used herbicides in the world, is of concern because of its frequent occurrence in various water bodies and the potential threat it constitutes to ecosystems. The transport of contaminants in seasonally ice-covered lakes is an important factor affecting the under-ice water environment, and changes in phase during ice growth and melting cause redistribution of atrazine between ice and water phases. To explore the migration pattern of atrazine during freezing and thawing, laboratory simulation experiments involving freezing and thawing were carried out. The effects of ice thickness, freezing temperature, and initial concentration on the migration ability of atrazine during freezing were investigated. The results showed that the relationship between the concentration of atrazine in ice and water during freezing was ice layer < water before freezing < water layer under the ice. Atrazine tended to migrate to under-ice water during the freezing process, and the intensity of migration was positively correlated with the ice thickness, freezing temperature, and initial concentration. During the thawing phase, atrazine trapped in the ice was released into the water in large quantities in the early stages. The first 20% of meltwater concentration was significantly higher than the average concentration in ice, with the highest case being 2.75 times the average concentration in ice. The results reported in this study are a useful reference for planning possible pollution control measures on such lakes during their freeze-thaw process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment)
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27 pages, 4700 KiB  
Article
Occurrence, Distribution, and Risk Assessment of Organophosphorus Pesticides in the Aquatic Environment of the Sele River Estuary, Southern Italy
by Paolo Montuori, Elvira De Rosa, Fabiana Di Duca, Bruna De Simone, Stefano Scippa, Immacolata Russo, Michele Sorrentino, Pasquale Sarnacchiaro and Maria Triassi
Toxics 2022, 10(7), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10070377 - 07 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2234
Abstract
The intensive use of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) causes concern among authorities in different countries, as many of them, remaining unchanged for a long time, pose a threat to environmental sustainability. This study assessed the spatio-temporal trends of nine OPPs in the water dissolved [...] Read more.
The intensive use of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs) causes concern among authorities in different countries, as many of them, remaining unchanged for a long time, pose a threat to environmental sustainability. This study assessed the spatio-temporal trends of nine OPPs in the water dissolved phase (WDP), suspended particulate matter (SPM), and sediment samples from the Sele River estuary, Southern Italy. Samples were collected in 10 sampling sites during four seasons. The highest levels were found at the mouth (mean value 28.25 ng L−1 as WDP + SPM) and then decreased moving southwards to the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, highest concentrations were detected in the warm season (July) with a mean value of 27.52 ng L−1. The load contribution to the Mediterranean Sea was evaluated in about 61.5 kg year−1, showing that the river was an important source of OPPs through discharge into the sea. The risk assessment revealed that no high-risk indices for the general-case scenario were observed, but for the worst-case scenario, potential risks were associated with chlorpyrifos, pyrimifos-methyl, and parathion, suggesting that OPP contamination should not be neglected. This study makes up the first record of OPPs in the surface waters of the Sele River and provides helpful data as a starting point for future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Contaminants in Water Environment: Occurrence, Distribution and Risk Assessment)
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