Environmental contamination by metal(loid)s: From Geochemical Processes to Health Impacts

Environmental contamination by metal(loid)s remains one of the major global challenges connecting Earth system processes to ecosystem and public health. Naturally occurring elements such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, among others, are mobilized and redistributed through both geogenic and anthropogenic activities, including ore weathering, mining, and industrial emissions. Understanding how these elements behave - through fluid–rock interactions, redox transformations, and mineral dissolution or precipitation - is essential for assessing their bioavailability and potential human health impacts. Recent advances in geochemistry now allow finer resolution of speciation, transport pathways, and isotopic fingerprints, providing insight into the sources and long-term fate of contaminants. Yet, translating these geochemical mechanisms into environmental risk frameworks still poses significant scientific gaps.This Research Topic aims to bridge fundamental geochemical understanding of metal(loid) behaviour with its implications for environmental contamination and health risk. By integrating field observations, laboratory experiments, isotopic and mineralogical analyses, and predictive modelling, this collection will highlight the mechanisms that control the mobilisation, dispersion, and speciation of potential toxic elements. The ultimate goal is to connect these findings to exposure pathways and socioeconomic outcomes in affected regions, including mining areas, industrial zones, and natural geochemical anomalies. Through interdisciplinary perspectives combining environmental (hydro)geochemistry, toxicology, and remediation science, the Research Topic will generate a comprehensive picture of how metal(loid) geochemistry governs environmental quality and human wellbeing. It will also provide a knowledge base for developing sustainable remediation strategies and risk mitigation policies.We welcome contributions using field, experimental, theoretical, and modelling approaches that shed light on the mechanisms and impacts of metal(loid) contamination in natural and anthropogenic systems.Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:o Sources, speciation, and biogeochemical cycling of metal(loid)s in soils, waters, sediments and plantso Mineral–fluid interactions and complexation processes influencing contaminant mobilityo Isotopic and geochemical tracers of pollution sources and transformation pathwayso Coupling geochemical models with ecological and health risk assessmentso Natural attenuation and remediation processes of contaminated environmentsWe particularly encourage Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles that integrate process-based geochemistry with environmental and health applications Topic editors: Nuno Durães, Samia Khadhar Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83314/environmental-contamination-by-metalloids-from-geochemical-processes-to-health-impacts