Environmental Toxicology and Human Health

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental contamination has now become a major global issue with adverse effects on our health and food security. Humans and animals are being exposed to debilitating levels of contamination on a daily basis. Across the globe, air pollution alone causes millions of premature deaths annually, mainly from lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, heart failure, and respiratory infections, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 99% of humanity breathes air containing contaminants above recommended levels. The United Nations has identified “a pollution-free planet” goal among its three pillars, in addition to climate change and biodiversity for 2022–2025. In order to mitigate contamination and relieve our burden of pollution-related disease, we need to devise target-specific strategies. To that end, risk assessment of each chemical and natural contaminants and solid evidence from toxicity studies appear to be of paramount importance. Meticulous efforts should be made to look into possible mechanisms of action for each pollutant and detect their toxic potential and safe limits through in vitro approaches and comprehensive in vivo animal testing. This Topic will focus on environmental pollutants (such as heavy metals, pesticides, nanoparticles, micro-nanoplastics, indoor air pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and industrial toxicants) and their human health effects, risk assessment, and relationship between various diseases and environmental pollutants. Human exposure to environmental pollutants may cause adverse effects such as neurotoxicity, carcinogenicity, infertility, and metabolic disorders. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and opinion pieces related to the proposed focus area.

Prof. Dr. Esref Demir
Prof. Dr. Sam Kacew
Topic Editors