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Emerging Contaminants in Aquaculture Production: Environmental and Human Health Risks
Summary
This review of 137 studies found that farmed fish and shellfish can build up "emerging contaminants"—things like antibiotics, chemicals, and microplastics—in their tissues, meaning these substances can end up on your plate when you eat seafood. Runoff from fish farms also pollutes surrounding waterways, spreading the problem further into the environment. The researchers call for better testing methods, stricter regulations, and cleaner farming practices (like water recycling systems) to reduce these risks before they become bigger threats to both seafood safety and ecosystem health.
The contamination of aquaculture products and effluents by Emerging Contaminants (ECs)—originating from both direct chemical applications and peripheral industrial activities—represents a critical global concern due to the environmental and public health risks associated with their persistence, bioaccumulation, and environmental dispersion. This systematic review aimed to synthesize the available scientific evidence on the occurrence, sources, environmental and human health impacts, and mitigation strategies of ECs in aquaculture production systems. A systematic literature search was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines across the Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases. Studies were selected according to predefined eligibility criteria, resulting in a total of 137 studies included in this review. The findings indicate that these pollutants accumulate within the tissues of farmed organisms, posing direct ingestion risks to humans, while contaminated effluents facilitate the widespread degradation of receiving water bodies. Given their environmental persistence and ubiquitous distribution, there is an urgent need for advanced analytical methodologies, robust regulatory frameworks, and the implementation of sustainable treatment technologies—such as advanced oxidation processes and recirculating aquaculture systems—alongside strategies for reducing antibiotics and microplastics. These measures are essential to mitigate the prevalence of ECs and safeguard both ecosystem integrity and human health.