Mapping global cancer risk hotspots from environmental pesticides

Beyond single scenarios: multi-scenario analysis of PAH exposure and health risks in China

Probabilistic Risk Assessment and Integrated Statistical Modelling to Identify the Key Factors in Acute and Chronic Arsenic Toxicity Among Schoolchildren for Proactive Toxicity Management

The need for integrated mitigation strategies that address both environmental exposure and nutritional vulnerability to reduce the health impacts of As among primary schoolchildren from As-affected and apparently control areas is highlighted.

Regional risk assessment Part I: prioritization of potentially contaminated sites.

Soil contamination remains a critical barrier to endurable land use and environmental health worldwide. A stepwise and risk-based approach to identify, assess and manage potentially contaminated sites across complex land uses, is presented. Unlike traditional site-specific risk assessments, which are often limited to detailed studies of individual locations, this large-scale approach (known as regional risk assessment - RRA) integrates diverse data sources - historical or current data on anthropogenic activities - with pathways relevance information and receptors vulnerability to support prioritisation when dealing with a very large number of sites. The methodology is implemented within a GIS-based framework, and integrate spatial data on hazards, pathways, and receptors to produce regional-scale risk maps. The output provides a relative ranking of potentially contaminated sites based on estimated risk levels, supporting the prioritisation of sites requiring further site-specific investigation or remediation. Applied to the metropolitan area of Toulouse, the framework demonstrates its applicability across urban and peri-urban landscapes. This methodology responds to emerging regulatory requirements, such as the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, and offers practical support to strategic planning efforts aligned with EU policy initiatives. By enabling more efficient and risk-based site management, the framework contributes to the protection of human health and the land resources.

Global and Local Perspectives on Heavy Metal Contamination and Associated Human

Heavy metal contamination of ecosystems represents a significant global threat to both environmental integrity and human health. This comprehensive review synthesizes evidence from 205 scientific studies to analyse the global panorama and a detailed Nigerian case study on heavy metal bioaccumulation in fish and the associated human health risks. The analysis reveals severe and widespread contamination, with South Asia and specific African regions, particularly Nigeria’s Niger Delta, identified as critical hotspots. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic remain highly prevalent across aquatic and terrestrial food chains, frequently exceeding international limits and demonstrating strong tissue-specific bioaccumulation particularly in liver, kidney, and fatty tissues. Furthermore, carcinogenic risks from arsenic and other metals often surpass acceptable limits, indicating a long-term cancer threat to regular consumers. The Nigerian context underscores unique exacerbating factors, including extreme pollution from petroleum activities and the alarming role of traditional smoke drying, which can concentrate toxic metals in fish by over 100%, dramatically amplifying consumer exposure. This review identifies major gaps in current research and surveillance, including inconsistent risk assessment methods, limited contaminant speciation, underrepresentation of modern pesticides, a lack of data on metal mixtures and human biomarkers, and insufficient cumulative risk assessment for multi-chemical exposures. To address this silent public health crisis, the conclusion proposes an integrated framework of actions, including the urgent standardization of monitoring, stringent enforcement of industrial pollution controls, targeted consumer safety advisories, and the promotion of safer food processing technologies and sustainable aquaculture.

Age-stratified probabilistic cancer and noncancer inhalation risks from volatile organic compounds near a major petrochemical complex in Rayong, Thailand

Communities residing near petrochemical complexes are chronically exposed to complex volatile organic compound (VOC) mixtures, but routine surveillance is often restricted to limited sentinel panels, which may lead to the underestimation of true health risks. This study assessed age-stratified probabilistic carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic inhalation risks near the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate, Thailand, the world’s eighth-largest petrochemical hub. During 2021–2023, six routinely monitored VOCs, namely, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, 1,3-butadiene, and vinyl chloride, were measured at two residential stations and one industrial fence-line station. An expanded 20-VOC panel was additionally analyzed at the fence-line station to capture broader industrial emissions. In this study, Thai-specific anthropometric data and the carcinogenic equivalence quotient framework were integrated into 10,000-iteration Monte Carlo simulations to estimate the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) and hazard index (HI) for preschool children, school-aged children, adolescents, and adults. In addition, the annual number of VOC-attributable excess cancer cases in Rayong Province was also estimated. The mean ELCRs were low at the community stations (4.10 × 10 − 7 to 3.08 × 10 − 6 ) but increased markedly at the fence-line station (3.18 × 10 − 5 to 2.32 × 10 − 4 ) and increased further under the expanded 20-VOC panel (5.00 × 10 − 5 to 3.61 × 10 − 4 ). While the mean HI remained below 1.0 for the routine panel at all the stations, it exceeded 1.0 for all the age groups under the expanded 20-VOC panel (ranging from 2.04 to 4.83). Preschool children had the greatest noncarcinogenic burden, with a 95th -percentile HI of 10.8. Benzene and ethylbenzene were the main carcinogenic contributors at the two community stations, whereas vinyl chloride dominated both the carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks at the industrial fence line. The estimated number of adult VOC-attributable excess cancer cases increased from 2.79 in 2015 to 3.15 in 2023, accounting for 0.36% of the regional cancer burden. Limited routine VOC monitoring may substantially underestimate petrochemical-related carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks. Age-stratified probabilistic assessment using an expanded VOC panel revealed substantial fence-line risks driven by specialty monomers, highlighting preschool children as a priority population for strengthened surveillance and site-specific risk management.

Multi-Media Exposure, Selective Accumulation and Health Risks of Organochlorine Pesticides in Human Serum under Post-Ban Conditions

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), despite being banned, persist in the environment and continue to pose potential risks to human health. This exploratory study investigated the concentrations of multiple OCPs in serum samples from 10 local residents and 52 surrounding environmental samples, including soil (n = 10), air (n = 12), indoor dust (n = 10), and food (n = 20), collected in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, in 2022. Multiple exposure pathways were quantified, and associated health risks were assessed. The results showed evidence of selective accumulation in humans, with serum ΣOCP concentrations ranging from 107.01 to 552.41 ng/g lipid weight (lw). p,p′-DDE was the predominant compound, accounting for 67.81% of total serum OCPs, while β-HCH showed relatively higher enrichment among HCH congeners. Lower proportions of p,p′-DDT and α-/γ-HCH were observed. Source contributions varied across media: food was the primary contributor to p,p′-DDE exposure, indoor dust and soil contributed more to β-HCH and certain DDT isomers, and the atmosphere showed a higher contribution of methoxychlor. Differences between integrated exposure profiles and serum composition highlighted the potential roles of metabolic transformation and lipid-associated accumulation in shaping internal OCP burdens. Risk assessment indicated that DDT metabolites and β-HCH were the major contributors to potential exposure risks. Overall, this study provides preliminary insights into the environmental–human distribution patterns of OCPs observed in Taizhou under post-ban conditions and highlights that environmental concentrations alone may not fully represent chronic internal exposure. These findings improve the understanding of potential OCP exposure pathways and emphasize the need for larger-scale studies incorporating population characteristics and refined exposure parameters for more comprehensive risk assessment