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Emerging Contaminants in Aquaculture Production: Environmental and Human Health Risks
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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.
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Emerging Contaminants Effect on Aquatic Ecosystem: Human Health Risks
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This review paper looks at how pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics, and nanomaterials build up in lakes and rivers from farm runoff and wastewater. These substances often go unmonitored, yet they can work their way into the water we rely on and potentially harm our health. The takeaway: better tracking of these contaminants is needed to protect both aquatic life and the people downstream.
Contaminants of emerging concern in seafood: a scoping review of exposure-based risk evidence and critical considerations for future regulation
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This review pulled together recent studies on unregulated chemical pollutants—like microplastics, pesticides, and industrial chemicals—found in shellfish such as mussels and clams, which act as "sentinels" that soak up contaminants from their environment. The biggest health concerns came from microplastics, pesticides, and PCBs (older industrial chemicals), while common medications showed lower risk levels than expected. The takeaway: seafood safety testing hasn't kept pace with these newer contaminants, so there's still a lot we don't know about what's ending up on our plates—more research and updated food safety rules are needed to fill these
Risks Associated with Dietary Exposure to Contaminants from Foods Obtained from Marine and Fresh Water, Including Aquaculture
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This review examines the risks of dietary exposure to contaminants from aquatic foods including fish, shellfish, and microalgae, covering persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, PFAS, and microplastics. Researchers note that while aquaculture helps address overfishing, both wild and farmed aquatic food systems face contamination from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and domestic effluents. The study highlights the need for robust monitoring to protect food safety as aquatic food production continues to expand.
Environmental Contaminants in Fish Products: Food Safety Issues and Remediation Strategies
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This review provides an overview of environmental contaminants found in fish products, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, and microplastics, and their risks to human health through seafood consumption. The combined presence of multiple contaminants in fish can create compounding toxic effects that are greater than any single pollutant alone. The authors recommend better monitoring and cleanup strategies, including bioremediation, to protect both marine ecosystems and the people who eat seafood.
Systematic review of emerging environmental contaminants: sources, environmental fate, and impacts
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This review pulls together existing research on "emerging contaminants" — things like forever chemicals (PFAS), leftover medications, microplastics, and hormone-disrupting substances that build up in our water, soil, and food chains. The takeaway: these pollutants don't break down easily, accumulate in living things over time, and have been linked to hormone disruption, cell damage, and antibiotic resistance, yet current safety testing and regulations haven't caught up to the scale of the problem. For consumers, this underscores why reducing exposure to plastics and unnecessary chemical products matters, and why stronger monitoring and regulation are
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