Topic: Emerging Organic Contaminants in the Environment: Present and Future Challenges for Ecosystems and Human Health

Emerging organic contaminants represent a global risk for the environment and human health. Currently, thousands of chemicals are used by the society in the most diverse activities (e.g., industry, agriculture, households, health care, etc.) that may potentially reach the environment. Among these, some of the most common detected are pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptors, perfluorinated compounds, UV filters, microplastics. Although nowadays there is a better characterization of the chemical fingerprint left by anthropogenic activities in the environment, this is just the top of the iceberg. This Special Issue, devoted to the topic "Emerging organic contaminants in the environment: Present and future challenges for ecosystems and human health", pretends to cope with the problematic of environmental pollution and bring new insights into the occurrence, fate, and impact of emerging organic contaminants in the environment. A broad selection of topics will be covered, including the development of novel analytical methodologies, studying the sources and fate of emerging contaminants, their metabolites and/or transformation products in the environment, proposing new and environmentally friendly solutions for their removal, and assessing their effects to the environment and human health. Special attention will be taken to microplastics and their related compounds (e.g., plastic additives), a new class of emerging contaminants that have shown an increasing detection in the environment over the last years, which it is closely related to the exponential growing trend of the global plastic production. It is expected this Special Issue gathers data on the occurrence, fate, and risks posed by emerging organic contaminants to ecosystems and human health by jointing researchers all over the world in a profitable discussion of the present status of the chemical environmental pollution and identifying gaps of knowledge and challenges to be faced in the future.

Proposed Topics
1. Novel analytical methodologies for identification and quantification of emerging organic contaminants, including non-target and suspect screening methods
2. Monitoring the fate and distribution of emerging organic contaminants in the environment
3. Impact of emerging organic contaminants in non-target organisms: bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and toxic effects. Linking chemical exposure and biological effects
4. Advanced and eco-friendly water treatment technologies for the elimination of emerging organic contaminants
5. Microplastics as new emerging contaminants of potential concern in the environment
6. Understanding the leaching of plastic additives and their threaten to ecosystems
7. Interaction of emerging organic contaminants with microplastics in the environment
8. Case studies illustrating new aspects and approaches related to emerging organic contaminants
9. Human environmental exposure to emerging organic contaminants: how worrying is the situation
10. Role of emerging contaminants in wastewater reuse to face water scarcity – a new challenge to the future
11. Future perspectives on the study of emerging organic contaminants in the environment

Related Webinar

31 Mar 2024