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Toxic Climatescapes: Mapping the Next Generation of Environmental Risks

Current World Environment 2026
Annem Srinivas Reddy, Rama Vemula

Summary

This review synthesizes evidence from 2017 to 2024 on how climate change is accelerating the release, distribution, and toxicity of environmental contaminants including microplastics, heavy metals, and PFAS. The study suggests that rising temperatures, altered precipitation, permafrost thaw, and extreme weather events are amplifying contaminant mobility and creating new combined exposure risks for both ecosystems and human health.

Body Systems

Climate change is accelerating the release, distribution, and toxicity of numerous environmental contaminants, posing new risks to human and ecological health. This review synthesizes recent evidence (2017–2024) on the interaction between climate-related factors and contaminants such as heavy metals, PFAS, microplastics, biotoxins, and endocrine disrupting compounds. A comparative account, based on literature data, maps how temperature rise, altered precipitation, permafrost thaw, and extreme events influence contaminant mobility and hazard profiles. The findings highlight emerging toxins, shifts in exposure pathways, and compounded health threats, emphasizing the need for integrated climate toxicology risk frameworks. Addressing these risks requires targeted monitoring, improved public health preparedness, and proactive policy responses.

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