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Toxics
Special Issues
Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants
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Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Human Toxicology and Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 3143

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Guang Jia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
Interests: mechanism and prevention of occupational and environmental pollutants (including nano-toxicology research, health risk assessment of heavy metals, biological monitoring and biomarker research, and multi-omics technology combined application)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhangjian Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
Interests: nanotoxicology; toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles; occupational health; environmental health; genotoxicity of nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of the effects of environmental pollutants on human health has received widespread attention, including whether traditional pollutants such as particulate matters and heavy metals, or new pollutants such as nanoparticles and microplastics can cause serious impact to the environment and human health. Research on the potential toxic effects and mechanisms of environmental pollutants can provide a scientific basis for related prevention work.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish research on the potential toxicity and mechanisms of environmental pollutants affecting humans or the environment. We encourage the use of novel methods such as multi-omics techniques, or research on new pollutants such as nanomaterials. Research using biomarkers to conduct biological monitoring to assess the impact of environmental or occupational pollutants on human exposure or health is also included, as well as reviews summarizing relevant recent advances.

Prof. Dr. Guang Jia
Dr. Zhangjian Chen
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

  • toxic effects
  • toxic mechanism
  • biomarkers
  • multi-omics techniques
  • nanotoxicity
  • heavy metals

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2502 KiB  
Article
Effects of Co-Exposure to Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene, Polymorphisms of microRNA Genes, and Their Interactions on Genetic Damage in Chinese Petrochemical Workers
by Shuangqi Li, Xiaojing Liao, Rui Ma, Na Deng, Haimei Wu, Zhaorui Zhang, Liping Chen, Qing Wang, Qilong Liao, Qianxi Li, Xinyi Ouyang, Yongmei Xiao and Qifei Deng
Toxics 2024, 12(11), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12110821 - 16 Nov 2024
Viewed by 411
Abstract
Benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) co-exist in human environments, yet their individual and combined effects on genetic damage at low exposure levels are not fully understood. Additionally, single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNAs (mirSNPs) might be involved in cancer etiology by affecting the related [...] Read more.
Benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) co-exist in human environments, yet their individual and combined effects on genetic damage at low exposure levels are not fully understood. Additionally, single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNAs (mirSNPs) might be involved in cancer etiology by affecting the related early health damage. To investigate the influence of BTX exposure, mirSNPs, and their interactions on genetic damage, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 1083 Chinese petrochemical workers, quantifying the BTX cumulative exposure levels and multiple genetic damage biomarkers. Additionally, we genotyped multiple common mirSNPs. Benzene and a BTX mixture were positive associated with the olive tail moment (OTM) and tail DNA% (p < 0.05). Higher levels of toluene and xylene enhanced the association of benzene with genetic damage levels. Genotypes and/or mutant allele counts of miR-4482-related rs11191980, miR-4433-related rs136547, miR-27a-related rs2594716, miR-3130-related rs725980, and miR-3928-related rs878718 might significantly influence genetic damage levels. Stronger effect estimates of benzene/BTX exposure were found in carriers of miR-196a-2-related rs11614913 heterozygotes and of wild homozygotes of miR-1269b-related rs12451747, miR-612-related rs12803915, and miR-4804-related rs266437. Our findings provide further support of the involvement of BTX co-exposure, mirSNPs, and their gene–environment interactions in determining the severity of DNA strand break in a complex manner. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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13 pages, 2739 KiB  
Article
ZnO Nanoparticles-Induced MRI Alterations to the Rat Olfactory Epithelium and Olfactory Bulb after Intranasal Instillation
by Lifeng Gao, Yuguang Meng, Xiaowen Luo, Jiangyuan Chen and Xuxia Wang
Toxics 2024, 12(10), 724; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100724 - 5 Oct 2024
Viewed by 624
Abstract
Since zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely applied, the nano community and the general public have paid great attention to the toxicity of ZnO NPs. We detected 20-nm ZnO NPs biotoxicity following nasal exposure utilizing the non-invasive and real-time magnetic resonance [...] Read more.
Since zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely applied, the nano community and the general public have paid great attention to the toxicity of ZnO NPs. We detected 20-nm ZnO NPs biotoxicity following nasal exposure utilizing the non-invasive and real-time magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique. MR images were scanned in the rat olfactory epithelium (OE) and olfactory bulb (OB) on a 4.7 T scanner following the treatment (as early as 1 day and up to 21 days after), and the histological changes were evaluated. The influence of the size of the ZnO NPs and chemical components was also investigated. Our study revealed that 20-nm ZnO NPs induced obvious structural disruption and inflammation in the OE and OB at the acute stage. The results suggest that the real-time and non-invasive advantages of MRI allow it to observe and assess, directly and dynamically, the potential toxicity of long-term exposure to ZnO NPs in the olfactory system. These findings indicate the size-dependent toxicity of ZnO NPs with respect to the olfactory bulb. Further study is needed to reveal the mechanism behind ZnO NPs’ toxicity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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9 pages, 2076 KiB  
Communication
Uranium and Radium in Groundwater and Incidence of Colorectal Cancer in Georgia Counties, USA: An Ecologic Study
by Taylor Rooney, Lissa Soares, Tesleem Babalola, Alex Kensington, Jennie Williams and Jaymie R. Meliker
Toxics 2024, 12(10), 705; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12100705 - 28 Sep 2024
Viewed by 551
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly occurring cancer in the United States, with higher incidence rates among Black populations. Groundwater concentrations of natural radionuclides uranium and radium have seldom been investigated in relation to CRC despite their known carcinogenicity. We investigate [...] Read more.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly occurring cancer in the United States, with higher incidence rates among Black populations. Groundwater concentrations of natural radionuclides uranium and radium have seldom been investigated in relation to CRC despite their known carcinogenicity. We investigate spatial patterns of CRC by race, and in relation to groundwater concentrations of uranium and radium, testing the hypothesis that uranium and radium in groundwater might differentially contribute to incident CRC in Black and White populations in counties of Georgia, USA. Black populations showed a higher incidence of CRC than White populations; the median incident rate difference was 9.23 cases per 100,000 (95% CI: 2.14, 19.40). Spatial cluster analysis showed high incidence clusters of CRC in similar regions for Black and White populations. Linear regression indicated there are, on average, 1–2 additional cases of colorectal cancer in counties with higher levels of radium in their groundwater, irrespective of race. Uranium was not associated with CRC. This ecologic study suggests that radium in groundwater may be linked with increased incidence of CRC, although it did not explain higher CRC incidence rates in Black populations. Further studies are needed to verify this association given the inherent limitations in the ecologic study design and the crude exposure assessment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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11 pages, 744 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Ambient Air Pollution on Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms: A Prospective Follow-Up Study
by Wen Sun, Chan Ding, Zhuoying Jiang, Xinliang Zheng, Jinlan Jiang and Huadong Xu
Toxics 2024, 12(9), 663; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics12090663 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1136
Abstract
Air pollution has become a serious public health problem and there is evidence that air pollution affects the incidence of allergic rhinitis. To further investigate the effect of ambient air pollutants on the severity of allergic rhinitis symptoms, a prospective follow-up study in [...] Read more.
Air pollution has become a serious public health problem and there is evidence that air pollution affects the incidence of allergic rhinitis. To further investigate the effect of ambient air pollutants on the severity of allergic rhinitis symptoms, a prospective follow-up study in patients with allergic rhinitis was conducted. A total of 167 allergic rhinitis patients with a mean age of 35.4 years, who were visiting the hospital, were enrolled. The daily symptom severity of allergic rhinitis and the concentrations of six air pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, O3 and NO2, were collected through follow-up investigations. The impact of ambient air pollutants on symptom severity was assessed via multi-pollutant models. Among several typical ambient air pollutants, we observed correlations of allergic rhinitis symptoms with PM2.5, PM10, CO, SO2 and NO2, whereas O3 showed no such correlation. Specifically, PM2.5 and PM10 were significantly associated with sneezing and nasal blockage. NO2 was significantly correlated with symptoms of rhinorrhea, itchy nose and itchy eyes. CO was significantly linked to sneezing and nasal blockage symptoms. These air pollutants not only had a direct impact on allergic rhinitis symptoms but also exhibited a lagging effect. This study indicates that short-term exposure to air pollutants is associated with exacerbation of nasal symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis, leading to a decline in their quality of life. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Effects of Exposure to Environmental Pollutants)
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