Environmental Research

A Multidisciplinary Journal of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

Environmental Research is a multi-disciplinary journal publishing high quality and novel information about issues of global relevance and demonstrating applicability in a wide range of real-world environmental contexts. The journal welcomes research papers, review articles, and short communications, compatible with one of the following sections:

• Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology

• Environmental Epidemiology and Human Health

• Environmental Materials Technology

• Environmental Process Technology

• Toxicology

Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology (Professor Robert Letcher, Dr Pierre Sicard)

The section targets studies on the discovery, presence, behaviour, fate and distribution of anthropogenic substances in all environmental compartments and processes including air, soil, sediment, water and biota as well as in associated technospheres, atmospheres and ecospheres. However, studies that are purely method developmental with no focus on environmental application, are site-/region-specific and/or are case studies are not considered. The section also focuses on ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology in wildlife and other biota but does not include toxicology studies that are controlled and laboratory-based.

• Air, soil, sediment, water and biota chemical pollutants

• Bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification

• Biotransformation and environmental fate

• Contaminant behaviour and environmental processes

• Ecotoxicology and environmental toxicology

• Marine, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems

Environmental Epidemiology and Human Health (Dr Payam Dadvand)

This section covers the human health and wellbeing effects of environmental factors, mainly based on observational or experimental epidemiological studies on human participants. Please note that in vivo (e.g., animal studies) and in vitro toxicological studies do not belong to this section and should be submitted under the Toxicology section.

Topics of specific interest include, but are not limited to, human health and wellbeing effects of:

• Ambient and indoor air, water, soil, noise, light at night, and radiation pollution

• Organic and inorganic chemicals (e.g. endocrine disruptors, pesticides, metals etc.). (If the study is based on data collected via complex sampling designs (e.g., NHANES), please see our requirements).

• Natural environments (e.g. green, blue, and brown spaces), and biodiversity (including planetary/one health studies), and urban design/planning,

• Climate change and its associated conditions (e.g., extreme weather conditions)

• Occupational exposures

Also of interest for this section are novel methods for the assessment of human exposure to environmental factors that go beyond the state-of-the-art.

Environmental Materials Technology (Professor Grzegorz Lisak)

The Environmental Materials Technology (EMT) section invites studies with focus on development and application of new materials relevant to environmental protection and mitigation measures, environmental engineering, sustainable development and built environment. EMT section welcomes research articles, critical review articles and short communications that have high environmental relevance, scientific novelty and significance.

Topics of specific interest include, but not limited to, are:

• Materials with applications in soil, water-loop, and air pollution control

• Waste-derived materials and their applications in sustainable development and built environment

• Materials for greenhouse gases mitigation measures

• Materials for engineering environmentally relevant natural sinks

• Environmental assessment of materials

Submissions without clear environmental relevance or research context will not be considered for publication in the EMT section

Environmental Process Technology (Professor Aijie Wang)

The Environmental Process Technology (EPT) section publishes studies which focus on reduction of pollutants and remediation of impaired environments. EPT section welcomes research articles, review articles and short communications that have high environmental relevance, scientific novelty and significance.

Topics of specific interest include, but not limited to, are:

• Water Pollution Control Technology

• Air Pollution Control Technology

• Soil Pollution Control Technology

• Solid Waste Management and recycle Technology

• Eco-technology and Environmental Micro-biotechnology

• Environmental Management and Risk Control Technology

Submissions without clear environmental relevance or research context will not be considered for publication in the EPT section.

Toxicology (Dr Johan Øvrevik)

The section targets controlled, laboratory-based studies on all aspects of toxicological effects from anthropogenic substances from all environmental compartments including air, soil, sediment, water, and food. Studies that provide new insight into safe/harmful exposure levels of environmental pollutants, contribute to identification of new harmful effects, and/or disentangle effects of complex mixtures including exposome effects are prioritized. Justification of exposure concentrations/doses are required. The section encourages assessment of environmentally relevant exposure levels and/or inclusion of dose-respons assessment to underpin risk assessment processes. The section also welcome controlled studies to address toxicokinetic and realistic target tissue doses, and studies providing causality to exposure-effect associations from epidemiological or environmental observations.

• Air, soil, sediment, water and food chemical pollutants and health

• Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics

• Effects of chemical mixtures and complex exposures

• Emerging contaminants and novel effects

• Risk assessment

• Causation evaluation

Naturally occurring toxins are not a prioritized topic, unless their effects are clearly linked to consequences of anthropogenic activities such as climate change or eutrophication. Studies that are purely method developmental with no focus on environmental application, are site-/region-specific, are based on single high-dose exposure without environmental relevance, and/or are case studies are not considered. The focus of the journal generally excludes papers that report results of toxicological effects of consumer products, such as tobacco and nicotine products, as well as occupational exposures, unless these papers have clear relevance to environmental topics.

The following topics are out of the scope of all sections of our journal:

• laboratory studies involving conditions which are unrealistic in the natural environment

• drug discovery/effectiveness evaluation,

• analysis of policies (without considering human health and wellbeing effects) of green/circular economy, sustainable development, or carbon footprint reduction,

• infectious/communicable diseases without considering any environmental factors,

• health risk assessment studies if they are small and of local importance,

• bibliometric analyses.