Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety is a multi-disciplinary journal that focuses on understanding the exposure and effects of environmental contamination on organisms including human health. The scope of the journal covers three main themes. The topics within these themes, indicated below, include (but are not limited to) the following:

Ecotoxicology
Aquatic and terrestrial ecotoxicology of organisms including microbes, invertebrates, vertebrate animals and plants. Also, mesocosm or field studies informing on fate and effects.
Mechanistic studies relating exposure, bioavailability and effects.
Molecular to whole organism studies, including animal behaviour and population effects.
Methods in ecotoxicology that address modes of action including omics, systems biology, quantitative measurements in living cells/tissues, biomarkers, histopathology, ecophysiology.


Environmental Chemistry
Soil, sediment and water chemistry that explains the fate, behaviour, sinks and effects of toxic substances such as metals, industrial and agrochemicals, nanomaterials, plastics and emerging contaminants.
Mechanistic studies that identify source apportionment, spatial or temporal distribution of toxic substances, chemical speciation, persistence and transformations in the environment.
Mixtures effects and interaction with environmental factors such as pH, organic matter, temperature and salinity.
Mechanistic studies on remediation of wastewater and sludge, on biosorbants, biochars, green chemistry, chemical sensors and biosensor technology.


Environmental Safety
Epidemiological studies linking environmental contamination to human health effects.
Molecular mechanism-based environmental toxicological studies using cell or animal models to evaluate hazards of air pollution, groundwater and drinking water contaminations, and environmental health and safety impacts from persistent toxic substances in the environment and food chain.
Mechanistic elucidation of detrimental effects upon exposure to various contaminants at cellular and molecular levels and novel method development for ecotoxicological and environmental toxicological research.
Evaluation of exposure, toxicity, and environmental risk using computational methods, such as big data, machine learning, and quantitative structure toxicity relationship modeling.


The journal publishes hypothesis- or observation-driven research, with emphasis on mechanistic understanding and/or reporting new phenomena. Therefore, the following types of routine reports are out of scope of the journal and should not be submitted:

Routine monitoring-style reports of pollutant concentration in the environment or biota.
Routine measurements of biomolecules in an organism without mechanistic studies or an experimental context.
Routine reports of adsorption isotherms, catalytic reactions, remediation method, and other very well-known phenomena of chemicals or materials.
Studies on general environmental parameters that affect the physiology of organisms, such as salt or draught effects on plants without an environmental pollution aspect to study design.
Agronomy studies, natural geochemistry studies, and animal biology studies that do not have an environmental contamination aspect to the research.

Regular research articles 
 Review articles 

Co-Editors-in-Chief
Richard Handy
University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
Email Richard Handy
Toxicity test methods with nanomaterials; Dietary uptake studies (in vivo, gut perfusions, cell lines); Clinical safety (dentistry, injectable nanomaterials, nanomedicines); Environmental effects, especially on aquatic species
Bing Yan
Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
Email Bing Yan
nanoparticle functionalization, nanotoxicity, cytotoxicity, chemistry, characterization, animal model, molecular interaction, cell signaling, systems toxicology, structural activity relationship
Associate Editors
Fernando Barbosa Jr
University of Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Toxicology of metals, metalloids and emerging contaminants; Human Biomonitoring and Exposomics; Speciation analysis of trace elements; Biomarkers; Omics in mechanistic and predictive toxicology; Data mining in toxicology; Nanotoxicology and nanosafety; Remediation; Air, water and soil pollution
Yong Liang
Jianghan University, Wuhan, China
Environmental toxicology; Persistent organic pollutant (POPs), Brominated flame retardants(BFRs),Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFASs); Emerging contaminants; Endocrine disrupting chemicals(EDCs); Animal model; Human exposure
Sijin Liu
Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Environmental toxicology; Molecular toxicology; Environmental carcinogenesis; Nanosafety and nanotoxicity
Hyo-Bang Moon, Ph.D.
Hanyang University Department of Marine Science and Convergence Engineering, Ansan, Korea, Republic of
Persistent organic pollutant (POPs), Emerging contaminants, Environmental fate, Human exposure
Ruth Pereira
University of Porto, Portugal
Soil ecology and soil and water ecotoxicology; Risk assessment of contaminated sites (including radioactive contaminated sites); Risk assessment of metals and emergent pollutants (e.g. microplastics, nanomaterials).
Paul Sibley
University of Guelph School of Environmental Sciences, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Hazard/Risk assessment; Sediment Toxicology; Pesticide toxicology; Aquatic ecology; Invertebrate ecology; Aquatic toxicology
Senior Advisory Board
Kenneth A. Dawson, PhD
University College Dublin School of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Dublin, Ireland
Guibin Jiang
Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Speciation analysis of organometallic compounds; Persistent organic pollutants; Environmental endocrine disruptors; Emerging chemicals; Analytical toxicology; Nanotoxicology
International Editorial Board
Shashi Bhushan Agrawal
Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Ecology & Environmental Science Involved in research to evaluate the impact of various abiotic stress factors on crop and medicinal plants (air pollutants (especially ozone), ultraviolet-B, heavy metals, etc.) by adopting various physiological, biochemical and molecular tools , biomonitoring of ozone, etc.
Eduardo Alves de Almeida
Oxidative stress; Aquatic toxicology; Endocrine disruptors; Biomarkers; Biotransformation; Pesticides; Genotoxicity; DNA damage; Estrogenic compounds
Jingwen Chen
Dalian University of Technology School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian, China
Computational toxicology; Quantitative structure-activity relationship; Ecological chemistry; Photodegradation, risk assessment; Emerging organic pollutants; Mariculture; Antibiotics; Flame retardant
Swaran Jeet Singh Flora
National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research Raebareli, Raebareli, India
Drug Development; Nanotoxicology; Dietary nutrients; Pesticide poisoning; Heavy Metals Toxicity; Chelation Therapy
Xiangang Hu
Nankai University, Nankai, China
Environmental safety; Ecotoxicity models
Taisen Iguchi
National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki, Japan
Hisato Iwata
Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan
Omics; Nuclear receptor; Cytochrome P450; Persistent Organic Pollutants; Endocrine Disruptors
Kelvin Sze-Yin Leung
Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Chemistry, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Emerging contaminants; Persistent organic pollutants; Environmental toxicology; Endocrine disrupting chemicals; Human exposure
Yi-Fan Li
Harbin Institute of Technology, Haerbin, China
Daohui Lin
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Nanomaterials; Ecotoxicity; Nanotoxicity; Bioavailability; Colloidal behavior; Sorption
Weiping Liu
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Organics, monitoring, human health, ecotoxicology
Megharaj Mallavarapu
The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Ann Miracle
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington, United States
Haruhiko Nakata
Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan
Jae-Sung Rhee
Incheon National University, Incheon, Korea, Republic of
Ecotoxicogenomics; Aquatic Toxicology; Ecotoxicology; Molecular Toxicology; Aquatic Animal; Fish; Marine Invertebrate
Susan Shaw
Marine Environmental Research Institute, Blue Hill, Maine, United States
Jianbo Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Environmental Behavior of pollutants and impacts
Maoyong Song
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Biomarkers in ecotoxicity research
Jennifer Stauber
CSIRO Land and Water Lucas Heights, Lucas Heights, Australia
Ecotoxicology of metals; Metal bioavailability and toxicity to marine and freshwater biota; Contaminants; Chemicals risk assessment; Environmental regulation
Lei Wang
Nankai University College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Jinnan District, Tianjin, China
ransport and transformation behavior of organic contaminants in soil and aquatic environments; Human biomonitoring and toxicokinetics of emerging contaminants; Analysis technology of Environmental samples (water, soil, sediment, and biota); Water treatment technology
Po-Keung Wong
Chinese University of Hong Kong School of Life Sciences, New Territories, Hong Kong
Environmental Toxicology and Environmental Microbiology
Tao Zhang
Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
Emerging Pollutants; Human Exposure Risk Assessment, Biomonitoring; E-waste Recycling Sites; Poly-/perfluorinated compounds; Perchlorate; Environmental Analysis; Environmental Fate and Behaviors; Wastewater Treatment Plant; Urban Water System
Hao Zhu
Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Toxicity modeling; Environmental toxicity prediction; Big data; QSAR; QSTR
Shulin Zhuang, Phd
Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
Computational Toxicology, Molecular Modelling, Human Health, Metabolism, Emerging Contaminants
Expanded Editorial Board
Ahmed E. Abdel Moneim
Zoology and Entomology Department at Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt
Heavy metals, nanotoxicity, biomarkers, cytotoxicity, animal model, cell signaling, systems toxicology, structural activity relationship, natural product
Gabriela Aguirre-Martínez
Arturo Prat University of Faculty of Health Sciences, Iquique, Chile
Ecotoxicology; Aquatic pollution; Aquatic Toxicology; Biomarkers; Exposure and risk assessment of chemicals; Acute and chronic toxicity tests; Emerging contaminants; Persistent Organic Pollutants; Field bioassays; Oxidative stress
Maria Laura Ballesteros
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)
FISH; INVERTEBRATES; BIOMARKERS; AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY; BIOTRANSFORMATION; OXIDATIVE STRESS; HISTOPAHTOLOGY; SWIMMING BEHAVIOUR; ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
Aicha Belkadhi
University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis, Tunisia
Metal toxicity; Signaling molecules; Growth regulators; Environmental remediation; Plant defense system; Abiotic stresses; Stress biomarkers; Efficiency of phytoremediation; Mechanisms of tolerance to heavy metals; Role of elicitor molecules
Tiziana Cappello
University of Messina Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Messina, Italy
Environmental metabolomics; Aquatic ecotoxicology; Biomonitoring and remediation strategies; Environmental risk assessment; Metals; Emerging pollutants (i.e. microplastics, nanoparticles); Marine invertebrates; Fish; Metabolic pathways; Biomarkers in ecotoxicity
Carlos L. Céspedes Acuña
University of Bio-Bio - Chillan Campus, Chillan, Chile
Insecticides, herbicides, antioxidants, Insect Growth Regulation, Plant Growth Regulation, enzymes, neurotoxins, secondary metabolites, antifungal, antibacterial, NUTRACEUTICALS
Liping Hou
Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
Andrew Hursthouse
University of the West of Scotland School of Computing, Paisley, United Kingdom
environmental geochemistry & health; chemical speciation and mobility; bioaccumulation and impact; hazard exposure, risk assessment & communication; environmental and resource management; societal impact; urban development and planning
Kishore Kumar Kadimpati
Narayana Medical College and Hospital, Nellore, India
Environmental Microbiology; Environmental Chemical Engineering; Phytoremediation; Environmental Toxicology; Micropollutants Removal; Thermodynamics; Drug Development; Nanotoxicology; Industrial heavy metals removal; Environmental Polymers; Biosorbent Development
Hassan Karimi-Maleh
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
Metal based nanoparticles, Carbon based nanocomposites, Electrochemical sensors, Removal of water pollutants, Ionic liquids, DNA biosensors, Enzymatic Biosensors, Drug delivery, Fuel cell, corrosion and photocatalytic degradation
Marianna Molnárová
Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
toxic heavy metals, phytotoxicity, oxidative stress, bioaccumulation, reciprocal interactions of metals, photosynthetic pigments, thiols groups, water content, translocation index, plants
Kavitha Pathakoti
Jackson State University Department of Biology, Jackson, Mississippi, United States
Environmental toxicology; ecotoxicology; nanotoxicology; oxidative stress; biomarkers; biomonitoring; environmental risk; pesticides; environmental pollutants; photocatalytic activity.
Yuvaraja Teekaraman
Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology Center for Integrated Access System, Gwangju, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Environmental Safety; Environmental Regulation; Clean Energy & Sustainable Engineering; Energy Efficiency; Energy Economics & Policy; Marine Environment; Environmental Process Modelling; Environmental Risk Assessment; Climate Change; Underwater Communication
Tongtao Yue
China University of Petroleum Huadong College of Chemical Engineering, Qingdao, China
Molecular modeling, Environmental fate, Nano-bio interactions, nanoparticle inhalation, cytotoxicity, cell membrane remodeling, cell signaling, protein structures, drug delivery
Emeritus Editor
Friedhelm Korte
Technical University of Munich, Munchen, Germany