Contemporary Materials Analytics and Safety

Human exposure to contemporary materials and products has increased dramatically in modern times. We are constantly confronted with manufactured materials, both at work and during leisure pursuits, indoors as well as outdoors, whilst undertaking sports activities, or in social or educational environments. Modern products are ubiquitous in our everyday environment and are encountered in all aspects of daily life, with sources ranging from man-made materials such as plastics, polymers, regrinds, and woods that are found in industry, transport, household products, etc.; the list is practically endless. Products of daily use are manifold, comprising paper and cardboard, textiles and clothing materials, leather products, functional materials, sports and leisure time equipment, children’s products, furniture and furnishings, building and construction materials, to name but a few. Likewise, there is an abundance of the diverse raw materials and agents used in industrial production, handicraft and artistry, namely dyes, pigments, paints, inks, solvent and base formulations, plasticisers, lubricants, stabilisers, adhesives, and binders.

This complexity gives rise to many potential interactions between material ingredients, especially in relation to production and processing, and calls for novel analytical strategies and data in quality control and exposure and risk assessment. Humans are prone to encountering by-products, contaminants and other non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) that are diverse in chemical nature, abundance, exposure and transmission to humans, and may exert diverse physiological effects. Being confronted with the ubiquitous and variable nature of contemporary products, this Research Topic offers a platform for reporting on substances in such materials and products, analytical strategies for their detection and characterization, as well as their sources of origin and formation pathways. Manuscripts may cover structural elucidation and quantification in both the products and raw materials, but also treat diffusion and migration within and between materials, release and emission processes, and migration and transmission processes, i.e., in view of substances originating from packaging materials that migrate into foods. This Research Topic may also include manuscripts dealing with the development of avoidance strategies and targeted or non-targeted analysis, including the development or adaption of instrumentation and analytical methods. Moreover, contributions from the scientific disciplines of exposure science, physiology and toxicology, and risk assessment, as well as on regulatory and legal aspects, are highly welcome.