Call for Papers
Between Emerging Contaminants and Environmental Exposure
With the rapid growth of populations and the escalating demand on manufacturing and agriculture, our environment is being heavily impacted by an unprecedented amount of anthropogenic chemicals, both in terms of quantity and chemical diversity. Although regulatory laws such as the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) in the United States and Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) in the European Union intend to protect human and environmental health by regulating chemical manufacturing, processing, distribution, and disposal, chemicals of environmental and health concern (termed as emerging contaminants) continue to enter the market and impact ecological systems; many including nanoscale materials (e.g., nanoplastics) have achieved human exposure. Additionally, nanomaterials as environmental contaminants is an emerging topic and are attracting increased inspection.
Currently, the entire life cycles of emerging contaminants, including nanomaterials, are scrutinized in the scientific community, among chemical manufacturers, and by regulatory bodies. The scientific and engineering processes bridging emerging contaminants to environmental exposomics are key for the effective management of contamination and protection of relevant communities. We thus invite you to contribute manuscripts (original research, review, commentary) pertinent to knowledge and technologies between emerging contaminants and environmental exposure. Emerging contaminants of interest include, but are not limited to, nano- and microplastics, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), pesticides, flame retardants, pharmaceutical products, and nanomaterials. We are particularly interested by the following knowledge and technologies between emerging contaminants and environmental exposure:
- Occurrence in various environmental media including water, sediments, soil, air, and biosolids.
- Fate and transport in environmental and constructed systems, in particular processes that may increase or reduce human or ecological exposure.
- Environmental and health impact (toxicity, life cycle assessment, and persistence).
- Treatment and management strategies (e.g., nanomaterial, physio-, chemical, and biological means to sequester and destruct contaminants, management practices).
Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at /page/nl/submission-guidelines. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript by 30 June 2025 at https://www.editorialmanager.com/wspc-nl. In the "article type" field, select "Special Issue Paper". In "Select section/category" field, choose "SPECIAL ISSUE: Between Emerging Contaminants and Environmental Exposure".
We look forward to receiving your contribution.
Guest Editor:
Professor Xi-Zhi Niu
Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering
University of Cincinnati, USA
xi-zhi.niu@uc.edu
Professor Michael J. Bentel
Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering
University of Illinois, Chicago