Mohiuddin Md. Taimur Khan
Larry Sklar- 1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Washington State University Tri-Cities, Richland, WA, United States
- 2Center for Molecular Discovery and Cancer Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
Editorial on the Research Topic
Environmental contaminants in aquatic systems and chemical safety for environmental and human health, volume II
Given the finite supply of water available for human use, the continued chemical contamination of the aquatic environment may pose a significant human health hazard. Consequently, an effort must be made to develop ambient water quality criteria to protect human health and preserve the integrity of the aquatic environment. In developing water quality criteria based on human health effects, information on sources of exposure, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects must be carefully evaluated and acknowledged. Information and fundamental knowledge on the sources of exposure are needed to determine the contribution of exposure from water relative to all other sources.
Human exposure to hazardous agents in our food, air, and water contributes to illness, disability, and death. Poor environmental quality has its greatest impact on people whose health may already be at risk, notably, pregnant women, young children, older adults, and people with preexisting illnesses. National efforts to ensure clean and safe food and water supplies continue to contribute significantly to improvements in public health and the prevention of disability. Currently, carcinogenicity and mutagenicity are considered to be non-threshold effects. For carcinogens and mutagens, criteria are calculated by postulating an “acceptable” increased level of risk and using extrapolation models to estimate the dose which would result in this increased level of risk. For other chemicals, thresholds are assumed, and criteria are calculated by deriving “acceptable daily intakes” for man which would presumably result in no observable adverse effects.
In recent years, antidepressants have acquired much attention because of their occurrence in water from the environment and aquatic organisms, as well as their potential harm to ecosystems and human wellbeing. The toxicological effects of antidepressants in different organisms, primarily fish, aquatic plants, and mammals included changes in weight, pathological changes in the brain, heart, and kidney, and a decrease in sperm dose (1, 2). It is also known that art materials may contain chemicals, which are associated with chronic toxicity (3, 4). Some of these chemicals include heavy metals such as nickel chloride that can potentially dysregulate mechanisms involved in genome maintenance and repair (5) and may predispose human cells to oncogenesis.
Recent scientific studies have demonstrated that insecticides have a strong collateral effect on both human and other non-target organisms and often on pests. Furthermore, the brown planthoppers (a serious rice pest) outbreak can be traced to the misuse of insecticides. Current pest management solely depends on chemical pesticides with effects on the environment, biodiversity, and human health (6). Although much progress has been made, crayons are among the most widely used products by children and can potentially be contaminated with lead, and there is a great need to further minimize the exposure to ensure the safety of consumers (7).
The risk for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects associated with the exposure to contaminants through three specific mechanisms (e.g., water pollution, food adulteration, and biomagnification) can be variable depending on the types of contaminants, their respective properties, and natural attenuation or digestive mechanisms. Often, these contaminants become the part of food chain due to poor control of effluent treatment plants of textiles, tanneries, and pharmaceuticals industries as well as the open dumping of toxic/solid waste and wastewater (8, 9). Heavy metals including cadmium, mercury, lead, copper, and zinc are recognized as important marine pollutants because of their toxicity, presence in food chains, and propensity to survive in the environment for an extended period (10, 11). Leather manufacturing involves many chemical products such as chromium sulfate, tannins, bactericides, and ammonia salt (12). Moreover, protecting the shellfish aquaculture farms often requires the prevention of oyster consumption when bacterial levels are high in water (13–16).
Researchers have identified that the wastewater treatment plants were primary sources of emerging contaminants (ECs) observed in surface water samples (17). The prominent classes of ECs mostly include pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), nanomaterials, surfactants, heavy metals, fire retardants, plasticizers, fertilizers, and pesticides (18, 19). Several classes of the ECs were recognized as endocrine disruptive compounds (EDCs) due to their deleterious effects on endocrine systems (EDCs). The impact of ECs has been reported in surface water, wastewater, and groundwater sources (18, 19). Effluents from the pharmaceutical industry are another important source, with high concentrations of pharmaceuticals being found due to discharges from factories in several parts of the world despite strict regulation of of pharmaceutical products (20–24). The ECs can effectively be eliminated by up to 99%, using the membrane bioreactor (MBR) and advanced treatment technologies such as reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, or nanofiltration (25). The tertiary treated wastewater is discharged into the open water sources after meeting the water quality standards and is not used as a palatable source of water. Therefore, wastewater treatment plants do not use MBR technologies, which are not energy-efficient and cost-effective. Therefore, it is erroneous to assume that the traditional tertiary treated wastewater is free of these emerging contaminants (26–28). Petrie et al. (29) confirmed that wastewater treatment procedures used in the treatment plants were not effective in completely removing emerging contaminants.
Transport pathways of heavy metals and other ECs from the soil into the aquatic ecosystems are a major concern in pollution and contamination because they depend on the solubility of ECs and are influenced by aerobic or anaerobic conditions, pH, and redox potential (30). These ECs not only impair soil quality and freshwater sources but could also get into the food chain and affect human and animal health, i.e., one health. Metal type and their bio availabilities in soils determine the extent of physiological uptake and potential toxic effects of metals in living organisms (31). On the other hand, antibiotic-resistant bacteria are resistant to both natural and synthetic antibiotics (32) and thus have become a health concern worldwide. Multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDRB) with stronger resistance can be resistant to three or more antibiotics in the clinic (33, 34). Bacteria can develop intrinsic resistance to certain antibiotics but can also acquire resistance to antibiotics (35). The pathway for bacteria to acquire or develop antibiotic resistance, which is rooted in the irrational usage of antibiotics, is to prevent antibiotics from entering the target, change the antibiotic targets, and inactivate antibiotics (36, 37). The irrational usage of antibiotics can lead to the prolonged exposure of bacteria to sublethal concentrations of antibiotics, which is key to resistance selection (38).
Only a small portion of the antibiotics in aquatic products are actually absorbed, with most being discharged into the environment, resulting in antibiotic residues in aquaculture areas in discharged wastewaters and accumulated in the surrounding sediments through adsorption (39, 40). In livestock farming, antibiotics are important for the prevention of infectious diseases and their treatment as well as for promoting the growth of livestock (41). Antibiotics applied to livestock and poultry are not fully absorbed, with most being excreted into the environment through animal feces or urine (42).
Based on the above discussions, there could be strong correlations among the micropollutants, metals, harmful chemicals, ECs, antibiotics, microbes, and aquatic environmental agents, which have an effect on the public health, food chain, soil-water environments, and animals—the major parameters of one health (Figure 1). Majed et al. (43) discussed the influence of contaminant pathway to water and soil on hygiene and healthy habits, which is a behavior parameter. However, conservation habits can help conserve water, increase food supply, and provide shelter for animals, birds, and insects. These habits are consistent with actions helping to protect and manage natural resources. Many of those habits will help establish and maintain healthy habitats, which are flourishing places for animals and others to live. Furthermore, these habitats provide a strong foundation for the ecosystem toward sustainable public health policy, resilience to withstand change and stressors, and solutions for climate change. Recent evidence from European ice cores showed a strong relationship between unusual weather (low temperatures and high rainfall) and the severity of the Spanish Flu epidemic during the First World War (44). There is evidence that Hg and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) removed from the atmosphere and deposited on snow have been released to the environment at snowmelt, rapidly dispersing hazardous compounds through the atmosphere, continental, and aquatic systems and becoming bioavailable to be incorporated into food webs (45, 46).
Figure 1. Flow chart of human exposure to contaminant pathways and associated mechanisms involved and framework for interventions (43).
Climate change affects the frequencies and durations of viral epidemics by altering the distribution, abundance, and activity of hosts, changing resistance to infection, the physiology of host-virus interactions, the rate of virus evolution, and host adaptation (47, 48). According to the World Health Organization (49), solid fuel includes coal as well as biomass fuels (referring to renewable plant-based materials such as wood, crop wastes, and charcoal), providing heat and light during the process of combustion. Ambient air pollutants (e.g., particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) may cause tumor formation in the breast and cervix uteri (50–52).
It has long been known that exposure to high levels of certain chemicals, such as those in some occupational settings, can cause cancer. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States; it accounts for one in four deaths in the US and claims more than 1,500 lives a day. There is now growing scientific evidence that exposure to lower levels of chemicals in the general environment is contributing to society's cancer burden and health hazard. It is eminent to adapt the emerging regulations, treatment technologies, public awareness, resource management, and policy assessment to overcome the environmental contaminants-related threat and issues in the environment. Moreover, chemical safety for environmental, animal, and human health is a mandatory concern, and proper management and regulations are necessary to adopt advanced and accurate safety measures.
Author contributions
MK conceptualized the editorial article, performed the literature review, validation, and designed the article preparation. MK and LS finalized the editorial article. LS confirmed the format and requirements of this submission. Both authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
References
1. Billah MM, Rayhan MA, Yousuf SA, Nawrin K, Khengari EM, A. novel integrated (OF-HC-EPM) approach to study anxiety related depressive behavior in mice model: a comparison of neuro standards. Adv Pharmacol Pharm. (2019) 7:39–48. doi: 10.13189/app.2019.070301
2. Castillo-Zacarias C, Barocio ME, Hidalgo-Vazquez E, Sosa-Hernandez JE, Parra-Arroyo L, Lopez-Pacheco IY, et al. Antidepressant drugs as emerging contaminants: occurrence in urban and non-urban waters and analytical methods for their detection. Sci Total Environ. (2021) 757:143722. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143722
3. Tchounwou P, Yedjou C, Patlolla A, Sutton D. Heavy metals toxicity and the environment. EXS. (2012) 101:133–64. doi: 10.1007/978-3-7643-8340-4_6
4. Hengstler JG, Bolm-Audorff U, Faldum A, Janssen K, Reifenrath M, Götte W, et al. Occupational exposure to heavy metals: DNA damage induction and DNA repair inhibition prove co-exposures to cadmium, cobalt and lead as more dangerous than hitherto expected. Carcinogenesis. (2003) 24:63–73. doi: 10.1093/carcin/24.1.63
5. Shammas MA, Shmookler Reis RJ, Koley H, Munshi NC. Dysfunctional homologous recombination mediates genomic instability and progression in myeloma. Blood. (2008) 113:2290–7. doi: 10.1182/blood-2007-05-089193
6. Bottrell DG, Schoenly KG. Resurrecting the ghost of green revolutions past: the brown planthopper as a recurring threat to high-yielding rice production in tropical Asia. J Asia Pacific Entomol. (2012) 15:122-40. doi: 10.1016/j.aspen.2011.09.004
7. Amaya MA, Jolly KW, Pingitore NE Jr. Blood lead in the 21st century: the sub-microgram challenge. J Blood Med. (2010) 1:71–8. doi: 10.2147/JBM.S7765
8. Amin MN, Begum A, Mondal MGK. Trace element concentrations present in five species of freshwater fish of Bangladesh. Bangladesh J Sci Ind Res. (2011) 46:27–32. doi: 10.3329/bjsir.v46i1.8101
9. Chakraborty C, Huq MM, Ahmed S, Tabassum T, Miah MR. Analysis of the causes and impacts of water pollution of buriganga river: a critical study. Int J Sci Technol Res. (2013) 2:245–52.
10. Aprile A, De Bellis L. Editorial for special issue heavy metals accumulation, toxicity, and detoxification in plants. Int J Mol Sci. (2020) 21:4103. doi: 10.3390/ijms21114103
11. Hembrom S, Singh B, Gupta SK, Nema AK. A comprehensive evaluation of heavy metal contamination in foodstuff and associated human health risk: a global perspective. In: Contemporary Environmental Issues and Challenges in Era of Climate Change. Singapore: Springer (2020). p. 33–63. doi: 10.1007/978-981-32-9595-7_2
12. Juel MAI, Alam MS, Pichtel J, Ahmed T. Environmental and health risks of metal-contaminated soil in the former tannery area of Hazaribagh, Dhaka. SN Appl Sci. (2020) 2:1–17. doi: 10.1007/s42452-020-03680-4
13. DePaola A, Nordstrom JL, Bowers JC, Wells JG, Cook DW. Seasonal abundance of total and pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Alabama oysters. Appl Environ Microbiol. (2003) 69:1521–6. doi: 10.1128/AEM.69.3.1521-1526.2003
14. Pfeffer CS, Hite MF, Oliver JD. Ecology of Vibrio vulnificus in estuarine waters of eastern North Carolina. Appl Environ Microbiol. (2003) 69:3526–31. doi: 10.1128/AEM.69.6.3526-3531.2003
15. Lyons MM, Lau Y, Cardin WE, Ward JE, Roberts SB, Smolowitz R, et al. Characteristics of marine aggregates in shallow-water ecosystems: implications for disease ecology. Ecohealth. (2007) 4:406–20. doi: 10.1007/s10393-007-0134-0
16. Froelich BA, Williams TC, Noble RT, Oliver JD. Apparent loss of Vibrio vulnificus from North Carolina oysters coincides with a drought-induced increase in salinity. Appl Environ Microbiol. (2012) 78:3885–9. doi: 10.1128/AEM.07855-11
17. Bai X, Lutz A, Carroll R, Keteles K, Dahlin K, Murphy M, et al. Occurrence, distribution, and seasonality of emerging contaminants in urban watersheds. Chemosphere. (2018) 200:133–42. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.02.106
18. Khan MM, Chapman T, Cochran K, Schuler AJ. Attachment surface energy effects on nitrification and estrogen removal rates by biofilms for improved wastewater treatment. Water Res. (2013) 47:2190–8. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2013.01.036
19. Bali AS, Sidhu GPS, Kumar V. Plant enzymes in metabolism of organic pollutants. In: Handbook of Bioremediation. Physiological, Molecular and Biotechnological Interventions. (2021). p. 465–74.
20. Dhangar K, Kumar M. Tricks and tracks in removal of emerging contaminants from the wastewater through hybrid treatment systems: a review. Sci Total Environ. (2020) 738:140320. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140320
21. Valdez-Carrillo M, Abrell L, Ramírez-Hernández J, Reyes-López JA, Carreón-Diazconti C. Pharmaceuticals as emerging contaminants in the aquatic environment of Latin America: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. (2020) 27:44863–91. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-10842-9
22. Chaturvedi P Shukla P Giri BS Chowdhary P Chandra R Gupta P et et al Prevalence and hazardous impact of pharmaceutical and personal care products and antibiotics in environment: A review on emerging contaminants. Environ Res. (2021) 194:110664. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110664
23. Rathi BS, Kumar PS, Show PL. A review on effective removal of emerging contaminants from aquatic systems: Current trends and scope for further research. J Hazard Mater. (2021) 409:124413. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124413
24. Cardoso O, Porcher JM, Sanchez W. Factory-discharged pharmaceuticals could be a relevant source of aquatic environment contamination: review of evidence and need for knowledge. Chemosphere. (2014) 115:20–30. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.02.004
25. Khan MMT Takizawab S Lewandowskic Z Jonesc W Camper A Katayama H et al Membrane fouling due to dynamic particle size changes in the aerated hybrid PAC-MF system. J Memb Sci. (2011) 371:99–107. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2011.01.017
26. Köck-Schulmeyer M, Ginebreda A, Postigo C, López-Serna R, Pérez S, Brix R, et al. Wastewater reuse in mediterranean semi-arid areas: The impact of discharges of tertiary treated sewage on the load of polar micro pollutants in the Llobregat River (NE Spain). Chemosphere. (2011) 82:670–8. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.11.005
27. Cabeza Y, Candela L, Ronen D, Teijon G. Monitoring the occurrence of emerging contaminants in treated wastewater and groundwater between 2008 and 2010. The Baix Llobregat (Barcelona, Spain). J Hazard Mater. (2012) 239–240:32-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2012.07.032
28. López-Serna R, Postigo C, Blanco J, Pérez S, Ginebreda A, de Alda ML, et al. Assessing the effects of tertiary treated wastewater reuse on the presence emerging contaminants in a Mediterranean river (Llobregat, NE Spain). Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. (2012) 19:1000–12. doi: 10.1007/s11356-011-0596-z
29. Petrie B, Barden R, Kasprzyk-Hordern B. A review on emerging contaminants in wastewaters and the environment: current knowledge, understudied areas and recommendations for future monitoring. Water Res. (2015) 72:3==27. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2014.08.053
30. Ademola OO, Adhika B, Balakrishna P. Bioavailability of heavy metals in soil: Impact on microbial biodegradation of organic compounds and possible improvement strategies. Int J Mol Sci. (2013) 14:10197–228. doi: 10.3390/ijms140510197
31. Triana SJ, Laperche V. Contaminant bioavailability in soils, sediments, and aquatic environments. PNAS. (1999) 96:3365–71. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.7.3365
32. Coates A, Hu Y, Bax R, Page C. The future challenges facing the development of new antimicrobial drugs. Nat Rev Drug Discov. (2002) 1:895–910. doi: 10.1038/nrd940
33. Kuenzli E, Jaeger VK, Frei R, Neumayr A, DeCrom S, Haller S, et al. High colonization rates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (Esbl)-producing Escherichia coli in Swiss travellers to South Asia- a prospective observational multicentre cohort study looking at epidemiology, microbiology and risk factors. BMC Infect Dis. (2014) 14:528. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-14-528
34. Wang Z, Han M, Li E, Liu X, Wei H, Yang C, et al. Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in an agriculturally disturbed lake in China: their links with microbial communities, antibiotics, and water quality. J Hazard Mater. (2020) 393:122426. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.122426
35. Blair JM, Webber MA, Baylay AJ, Ogbolu DO, Piddock LJ. Molecular mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. Nat Rev Microbiol. (2015) 13:42–51. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3380
36. Al-Halawa DA, Sarama R, Abdeen Z, Qasrawi R. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to antibiotic resistance among pharmacists: a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine. Lancet. (2019) 393:S7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30593-8
37. Fleming-Dutra KE, Hersh AL, Shapiro DJ, Bartoces M, Enns EA, File TM Jr., et al. Prevalence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions among us ambulatory care visits, 2010–2011. JAMA. (2016) 315:1864–73. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.4151
38. Andersson DI, Hughes D. Microbiological effects of sublethal levels of antibiotics. Nat Rev Microbiol. (2014) 12:465–78. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3270
39. Conkle JL, Lattao C, White JR, Cook RL. Competitive sorption and desorption behavior for three fluoroquinolone antibiotics in a wastewater treatment wetland soil. Chemosphere. (2010) 80:1353–9. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2010.06.012
40. Rico A, Phu TM, Satapornvanit K, Min J, Shahabuddin AM, Henriksson PJG, et al. Use of veterinary medicines, feed additives and probiotics in four major internationally traded aquaculture species farmed in Asia. Aquaculture. (2013) 412–413:231–43. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2013.07.028
41. Yin F, Ji C, Dong H, Tao X, Chen Y. Research progress on effect of antibiotic on anaerobic digestion treatment in animal manure. J Agr Sci Tech-Iran. (2016) 18:171–7. doi: 10.13304/j.nykjdb.2015.702
42. Briones RM, Sarmah AK, Padhye LP. A global perspective on the use, occurrence, fate and effects of anti-diabetic drug metformin in natural and engineered ecosystems. Environ Pollut. (2016) 219:1007–20. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.07.040
43. Majed N, Real MIH, Akter M Azam HM. Food adulteration and bio-magnification of environmental contaminants: a comprehensive risk framework for Bangladesh. Front Environ Sci. (2016) 4:34. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2016.00034
44. More AF, Loveluck CP, Clifford H, Handley MJ, Korotkikh EV, Kurbatov AV, et al. The impact of a six-year climate anomaly on the “Spanish Flu” pandemic and WWI. Geohealth. (2020) 4:e2020GH000277. doi: 10.1029/2020GH000277
45. Ma J, Hung H, Macdonald RW. The influence of global climate change on the environmental fate of persistent organic pollutants: A review with emphasis on the northern hemisphere and the Arctic as a receptor. Glob Planet Chang. (2016) 146:89–108. doi: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2016.09.011
46. AMAP. AMAP assessment 2021: Mercury in the arctic. In: Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. Tromsø (2021). p. 324. Available online at: https://www.amap.no/documents/doc/amap-assessment-2021-mercury-in-the-arctic/3581
47. Danovaro R, Corinaldesi C, Dell'Anno A. Marine viruses and global climate change. FEMS Microbiol Rev. (2011) 35:993–1034. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6976.2010.00258.x
48. Mojica KD, Brussaard CP. Factors affecting virus dynamics and microbial host-virus interactions in marine environments. FEMS Microbiol Ecol. (2014) 89:495–515. doi: 10.1111/1574-6941.12343
49. World Health Organization. WHO Indoor Air Quality Guidelines: Household Fuel Combustion. Geneva: WHO Document Production Services (2014).
50. Callahan CL, Bonner MR, Nie J, Han D, Wang Y, Tao MH, et al. Lifetime exposure to ambient air pollution and methylation of tumor suppressor genes in breast tumors. Environ Res. (2018) 161:418–24. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.11.040
51. Andersen ZJ, Stafoggia M, Weinmayr G, Pedersen M, Galassi C, Jorgensen JT, et al. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of postmenopausal breast cancer in 15 European cohorts within the ESCAPE project. Environ Health Perspect. (2017) 125:107005. doi: 10.1289/isee.2016.3966
Keywords: environmental contaminants, chemical safety, aquatic system pollution, environmental and human health, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, ambient water quality
Citation: Khan MMT and Sklar L (2023) Editorial: Environmental contaminants in aquatic systems and chemical safety for environmental and human health, volume II. Front. Public Health 11:1157834. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1157834
Received: 03 February 2023; Accepted: 08 May 2023;
Published: 13 June 2023.
Edited and reviewed by: Argaw Ambelu, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Copyright © 2023 Khan and Sklar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Mohiuddin Md. Taimur Khan, bW10a2hhbi53c3UmI3gwMDA0MDtnbWFpbC5jb20=