Heavy Breathing: Unveiling the Impact of Heavy Metals on Lung Health
A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Toxicology and Epidemiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 August 2025) | Viewed by 1470
Special Issue Editors
Interests: metabolomics; lung physiology; pulmonary toxicity; metal toxicity; particulate toxicity; exposome
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
2. Atlanta Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, Decatur, GA 30033, USA
Interests: mitochondrial dysregulation; lung diseases; platelet function; metabolomics; heavy metals; systems biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleague,
Heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic, lead, and vanadium are pervasive in our environment and pose significant health risks. Exposure to these heavy metals has been well recognized as a potent threat to human lung health. Despite the known dangers, many aspects of heavy metal exposure still need to be fully characterized. There is a pressing need to unveil toxicological mechanisms and accurately assess the risks. Additionally, the challenges posed by climate change and the rapid development of new technologies have increased the uncertainty of chemical exposure and associated risks, particularly for vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and occupationally exposed individuals. As noted by the World Health Organization, heavy metal exposure remains a major public health concern. This Special Issue aims to consolidate cutting-edge research on the mechanisms, health effects, and mitigation strategies related to heavy metal exposure and lung health.
We invite submissions that cover, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Characterization of heavy metal exposure that could lead to health consequences in the respiratory tract;
- Toxicological mechanisms of heavy metal exposure affecting lung health;
- Epidemiological studies linking heavy metal exposure to lung diseases;
- Systems biology approaches to study the health risks associated with heavy metal exposure;
- Exposome and its role in understanding cumulative exposure to heavy metals;
- Mitigation strategies to reduce exposure risks associated with heavy metals;
- Exposure risks and health effects of heavy metals on vulnerable populations.
Dr. Xiaojia He
Dr. Matthew Smith
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
- heavy metals
- lung health
- risk assessment
- exposure characterization
- exposome
- system toxicology
- vulnerable populations
- toxicological mechanisms
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