Effects and Dynamics of Toxic Substances in Aquatic Ecosystems

A special issue of Toxics (ISSN 2305-6304). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecotoxicology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 4419

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry “Ugo SChiff”, University of Florence, Via della Lastruccia 3, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (Firenze), Italy
Interests: persistent organic pollutants; water pollution; air pollution; soil/sediment pollution; microplastic; heavy metals; air/water exchanges; human health; toxic effects on biota; ecosystems effects; indoor air; emerging contaminants; remote areas
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Dear Colleagues,

With the increased urbanization and the indiscriminate discharge of industrial effluents and toxic materials, as well as the release of raw sewage waste and improperly-treated wastewater into water courses that have led to a serious degradation in water quality, a deep discussion on the effects of toxic substances on the aquatic  ecosystem is required. The aim of the Special Issue will be to collect original research articles and reviews that advance the resaerch on the development and apply of monitoring technologies to assess water quality status, trends, and drivers, and to identify sources and the spatial and temporal variability associated with these sources. Research works aimed to regular monitoring of the biological, physical, and chemical components of the aquatic ecosystems for detecting its situation and potential ability to return to its normal state are necessary. Potential studies on chemical substances (i.e., persistent organic pollutants, emerging contaminants, heavy metals, and microplastics) that can affect not only water quality, but can also have a negative impact of aquatic life and can affect the physiological activities of target organisms are also welcome. The Special Issue encourages advancements in the topic mentioned above and studies not only describing the processes and pathways of the pollutants from one trophic level to another but also chemical exposure assessments and adverse effects of pollutants on aquatic organisms.

Dr. Alessandra Cincinelli
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • water pollution
  • air pollution
  • microplastic
  • persistent organic pollutants
  • heavy metals
  • air/water exchange
  • human health
  • toxic effects on organisms
  • bioaccumulation
  • biomagnification
  • soil/sediment pollution
  • ecosystems effects

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 5062 KiB  
Article
Occurrence and Quantification of Natural and Microplastic Items in Urban Streams: The Case of Mugnone Creek (Florence, Italy)
by Valentina Rimondi, Alessio Monnanni, Eleonora De Beni, Gabriele Bicocchi, David Chelazzi, Alessandra Cincinelli, Sara Fratini, Tania Martellini, Guia Morelli, Stefania Venturi, Pierfranco Lattanzi and Pilario Costagliola
Toxics 2022, 10(4), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics10040159 - 26 Mar 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3550
Abstract
The terrestrial environment is an important contributor of microplastics (MPs) to the oceans. Urban streams, strictly interwoven in the city network and to the MPs’ terrestrial source, have a relevant impact on the MP budget of large rivers and, in turn, marine areas. [...] Read more.
The terrestrial environment is an important contributor of microplastics (MPs) to the oceans. Urban streams, strictly interwoven in the city network and to the MPs’ terrestrial source, have a relevant impact on the MP budget of large rivers and, in turn, marine areas. We investigated the fluxes (items/day) of MPs and natural fibers of Mugnone Creek, a small stream crossing the highly urbanized landscape of Florence (Italy) and ending in the Arno River (and eventually to the Tyrrhenian Sea). Measurements were done in dry and wet seasons for two years (2019–2020); stream sediments were also collected in 2019. The highest loads of anthropogenic particles were observed in the 2019 wet season (109 items/day) at the creek outlet. The number of items in sediments increased from upstream (500 items/kg) to urban sites (1540 items/kg). Fibers were the dominant shape class; they were mostly cellulosic in composition. Among synthetic items, fragments of butadiene-styrene (SBR), indicative of tire wear, were observed. Domestic wastewater discharge and vehicular traffic are important sources of pollution for Mugnone Creek, especially during rain events. The study of small creeks is of pivotal importance to limit the availability of MPs in the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effects and Dynamics of Toxic Substances in Aquatic Ecosystems)
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