From toxic pollutants to human health: the twenty-two key questions for a more sustainable environmental future in Europe

Which chemicals are the most aggressive for the environment? Where on the planet are most pollutants concentrated? Is it possible to detect toxic products that are not easily identifiable? How can biodiversity and natural ecosystems be better protected? The degradation of the environment and natural resources, the loss of biodiversity, impacts on health and food safety crises are some of the effects of chemical products on the environment due to human activity.  An international study involving Miguel Cañedo-Argüelles, a researcher at the Technology Centre for Biodiversity,. Ecology and Technology, and Environmental and Food Management (BETA) - TECNIO Network of the UVic-UCC and a member of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Barcelona (UB), has recently determined the twenty-two priority issues for consideration to manage the environmental risks associated with chemicals in Europe in the most sustainable way.

The research, published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, aims to outline a new roadmap, with a more global and coordinated perspective, for various social and economic sectors in the field of chemical products, and the management of environmental risk in Europe. The new study is part of the initiatives of the Global Horizon Scanning Project (GHSP), undertaken by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), to identify the main factors that alter environmental quality in various geographical areas (Europe, Africa, North America, South America, and Asia-Pacific).

Is a more sustainable environmental future possible?

The new scientific study aims to evaluate how various factors affecting natural ecosystems (chemicals, hydrological alterations, environmental degradation, etc.) interact with each other. According to Miquel Cañedo-Argüelles, "ecosystems are subject to many stress factors, and scientists study them separately due to technical limitations." However, "these factors are interacting with nature, and this interaction often does not lead to the sum of the individual effects, as there may be synergies or antagonisms," he adds.

"Considering chemicals in isolation can result in a simplistic assessment that doesn't account for the complexity of the real world," says Professor Alistair B.A. Boxall (University of York), one of the main authors of the study. "The new study," he continues, "highlights international scientists' research priorities and the key gaps in our knowledge when it comes to the risks and impacts of chemicals. We aim to help focus scientific effort on the questions that really matter, and inform decisions about the type of research needed to update policies and regulations."

Emerging pollutants: new threats to the global environment

According to the experts, in the future it will be necessary to identify the ecosystems with a higher risk of degradation due chemical pollution in Europe, and to define which ones be made a priority for biodiversity preservation.  In this scenario, it will be necessary to determine the potential effect of emerging pollutants, which are usually the result of pharmaceutical products or cosmetics, and are not regulated by any specific legislation. According to Cañedo-Argüelles, "there are currently about 3,000 drugs in the market that finally reach the environment, and in most of those cases we do not have much information on their potential impact on biodiversity."

It is also important for ecotoxicological studies to understand the real situation of the natural environment to determine ecosystems' potential response to pollutants. "Studies on the limit concentrations of a certain substance in the environment are usually based on laboratory trials with one or a few species, like the planktonic crustacean Daphnia magna," notes Cañedo-Argüelles.

"But there are many species living in ecosystems and interacting together. Pollutants affect different species and can alter trophic interactions, so these create complex and unexpected responses in the whole ecosystem which affect the level of populations and communities. A good option for future studies would therefore be to combine laboratory trials with the use of mesocosms – artificial ecosystems controlling environmental conditions, and if necessary, carry out field studies," says the researcher.

Experts from the Rovira i Virgili University, the Institute of Game and Wildlife Research (IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM) and the IMDEA Water Institute (University of Alcala) are taking part in this research.