Heavy Metals & Their Species (forms) in Marine Food Webs: Bioaccumulation, Biomagnification, Ecotoxicological & Human Health Consequences & Advanced Remedial Techniques

Marine ecosystems are increasingly exposed to toxic heavy metals and metalloids—including mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, chromium, and copper—via industrial discharge, coastal development, maritime transport, and atmospheric deposition. Due to their persistent, non-biodegradable nature, these contaminants accumulate in sediments, plankton, and benthic fauna, undergoing bioaccumulation and biomagnification across marine food webs. Crucially, they reach commercially harvested fish, shellfish, and edible macroalgae, posing direct ecotoxicological threats to marine biodiversity and substantial dietary health risks to human consumers.While the environmental occurrence of heavy metals is well documented, critical knowledge gaps remain regarding the links between aquatic exposure pathways, food web dynamics, seafood safety, and actionable regulatory oversight. This Research Topic aims to address these challenges by providing an interdisciplinary platform connecting environmental geochemistry, aquatic toxicology, food science, and marine policy. We place particular emphasis on emerging risks under climate-driven shifts in ocean chemistry, chemical speciation, consumer health risk modeling, and practical mitigation strategies.We welcome manuscripts addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Trophic Transfer & Bioaccumulation: Pathways, biomagnification rates, and organ-specific accumulation of heavy metals in commercially harvested finfish, crustaceans, mollusks, and edible seaweeds.- Chemical Speciation & Bioavailability: Advanced analytical approaches, isotopic tracing, and biotransformation processes (e.g., methylmercury, arsenic species) that dictate toxicity in seafood matrices.- Seafood Safety & Human Health Risk Assessment: Dietary exposure modeling, target hazard quotients (THQ), maximum allowable limits, and epidemiological implications for vulnerable consumer populations.- Ecotoxicological Mechanisms & Biomarkers: Cellular and physiological responses in marine organisms, including oxidative stress, endocrine disruption, and immunotoxicity.- Remediation & Depuration Technologies: Sustainable mitigation approaches, such as post-harvest depuration, biosorption, and green nanotechnology for contaminant reduction.- Regulatory Frameworks & Marine Policy: Comparative analyses of national and international food safety standards (e.g., Codex Alimentarius, EU regulations), compliance challenges, and monitoring protocols for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. Topic editors: Arisekar Ulaganathan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86006/heavy-metals-their-species-forms-in-marine-food-webs-bioaccumulation-biomagnification-ecotoxicological-human-health-consequences-advanced-remedial-techniques