Toxic Threats to Sustainability: Mechanisms and Impacts of Environmental Contaminants on Health and Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental contaminants represent a major barrier to achieving sustainable development. From industrial chemicals and heavy metals to microplastics and emerging pollutants, these substances continue to accumulate across ecosystems, disrupting ecological balance and posing significant risks to human health. Their presence threatens the success of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).

This Special Issue aims to explore how environmental pollution through air, water, soil, and food systems compromises health, biodiversity, and long-term sustainability. We seek contributions that investigate the direct and indirect effects of contaminants on living organisms, as well as broader implications for environmental resilience and socio-economic development. The goal is to understand how pollution-driven degradation affects community well-being, natural resource availability, and the global push for a more sustainable and equitable future.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, and case studies on topics including the following:

1. Environmental fate and transport of contaminants;
2. Impacts of pollution on human and ecological health;
3. Contaminant-induced disruptions in water and food systems;
4. Linkages between environmental degradation and SDG implementation;
5. Community or policy-based approaches to pollution mitigation;
6. Innovations in monitoring and managing environmental pollutants.

This Special Issue offers a platform for interdisciplinary research that connects environmental science with public health, sustainability, and policy. By examining the toxic legacy of pollution and its ripple effects across generations and ecosystems, we hope to foster informed strategies that support both planetary and population health in the context of sustainable development.

Dr. Mahesh Rachamalla
Dr. Shubham Dwivedi
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.

• environmental contaminants
• toxic burden
• pollution and sustainability
• chemical pollution
• ecological health
• human health impacts
• SDG 3
• SDG 6
• SDG 14
• environmental degradation
• pollutant exposure
• sustainable development
• contaminant pathways
• environmental resilience